Akame Ga Kill: The Twin Swords
by Zacaro
Summary: Tatsumi and Wave. Two fighters with their own sense of justice. They'll both fight to the death for what they believe in, and crush anyone in their way. Death and suffering awaits, and there can only be one survivor. [AU] [rated Mature for extreme violence and mildly sexual content] [18% Complete]
1. Preview

**Hello, and welcome to this story!**

 **This story is based on both the anime and manga version of 'Akame Ga Kill'**

 **This is an alternate universe version. This means _many_ different events, new Imperial Arms/Teigus, alternate character deaths, and a bunch more.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! C:**

* * *

Tatsumi had been waiting for this day for as long as he could recall.

It hadn't been easy, sitting around in the village, simply waiting for the time when he'd be able to set out and explore the world. Even as a child, he would hear stories of the extraordinary world beyond their village, it seemed like a completely different reality from the one they existed in.

He didn't like the fact that he'd would have to go out on his own, leaving the people in the village behind. They were all like family to him, it almost broke his heart thinking that he'd leave them, but he promised himself he would return. The village earned their money off of the trees on the outskirts of the area, and they were very talented craftsmen, their skills were never questioned. However, recently, their hills and forests had begun to go bare. Without their wood, they would have nothing to offer and would either have to leave to work somewhere else or starve to death from the lack of income.

Tatsumi wasn't about to let that happen.

Amongst the stories of the different kinds of adventures that you experience outside of the village, one always stood out for Tatsumi, the Capital. The city of opportunities, they called it. Apparently, even the most hopeless people that had nowhere to go, could find themselves rich in the Capital, commonly because of the army. You could open up a market, cake shop, fruit stand, and almost anything in the Capital, but the best option, for those who could fight, was joining the army. Tatsumi had heard about how each man or woman with enough skill could fight for the army, bringing murderers, rapists, thieves and other criminals to justice, and make a living off of it. He knew that was the best hope he had, he could make the money that his village so desperately needed.

So, by requesting constant training from a retired fighter in the village, Tatsumi had been preparing for his journey to the Capital as fast as possible. The training was intense, his mentor didn't exactly go easy on him, and the exercise was worse. There were some nights that he couldn't get out of bed due to overstraining himself, and sometimes he thought if there was really any problem with taking a day off, but he never let those thoughts stop him. He'd train until he could no longer stand, and then he'd find a way to stand again and keeping training.

He deserved a position in the Capital's army, he was sure of it, that's one sentence he would continuously repeat in his mind, he _deserved_ it. The village was counting on him, how could he possibly let them all down?

He got up from his bed and glared out of the window, watching the sunlight emit into the bedroom and cause the walls to glimmer in its exquisite glow. His brown hair was a mess, having a spike point out at each end, but he didn't bother to fix it. He placed his feet onto the rough, bumpy surface of the ground and feels its texture with his toes, his house was made completely out of wood, craved and made so that it was comfortable to walk on, but it still had a few sharp edges here and there, so he treaded cautiously.

He could clearly hear the sounds of chirping coming from outside, it was a high-pitched tune from the birds today, but Tatsumi didn't mind. He paced around the room, gathering everything even though almost all that he owned was already packed and ready to take, and he double-checked that he brought everything out of anxiety. He lowered his head after a few moments and starting chuckling dryly. He had been waiting for this day for so long, but now he was acting like a nervous wreck, so he straightened himself and heaved a heavy sigh. It was time to go.

No one else was awake at that time, Tatsumi thought it would be best for him to leave while everyone was still asleep. He had already said his goodbyes to the villagers, and they even threw him a farewell party for him, even though he had informed them multiple times that he would be returning whenever he could. Tatsumi laughed again as he grabbed the bag leaned against his bed and swung it onto his back, and this laugh felt far more genuine. He loved everyone here. They cared so much for him and had provided him with so much, he knew he'd never be able to repay them for that.

Wearing a simple black shirt, with a brown jacket over it, and blue jeans, Tatsumi headed out of the door. The door creaked loudly on his way out, causing him to wince and stare back at it. The people of the village were mostly light sleepers, and he didn't want to be a nuisance by waking them up so early in the morning, so he was worried if he had gotten anyone up. He remained frozen for a few seconds, listening for the sounds of anyone getting up from their own bedrooms, but he heard nothing and realized that the coast was clear.

He stepped away from the small, wooden house and glanced back at it, he was going to miss it dearly. The strong breeze of the wind flowed elegantly through Tatsumi's spiked hair and he smiled at it, the sensation was rather enjoyable. He took in a deep breath and started walking, leaving his home behind for good.

And just when he reached the end of the path to the exit of the village, he looked back at it once more. The lush, green trees guarding the sides of the houses, the laundry hanging around loosely and clumsily, white and ginger cats strolling casually from area to area, and everything else that reminded Tatsumi that this was his home. It would always be that way, he could never see this place as anything but home, so he sighed. He'd come back here soon, he had to.

Tatsumi pictured all of the wonderful and kind people in the village, each and every smiling face came to thought, and welcome memories of them began to rush through his mind. Those memories…he'd remember to treasure them forever. He readjusted the bag on his right shoulder and the iron sword strapped to his waist, though he took longer when touching the sword. It was the only valuable thing he had with him, a sword given to him by his mentor to keep him safe. Iron swords might not have been rare in the Capital, but the sword was the only one in his village, a complete one-of-a-kind. He felt so incredibly strong with it beside him, almost invincible.

Tatsumi brushed the long strands of brown hair out of his eyes and stared at the road ahead of him and began to walk again, heading towards the outside world. The unknown world where he could finally make a name for himself. He kept his head high and proud, took in a deep breath, and marched on ahead.

And right into the clutches of the Capital.

* * *

It felt great to get off of a boat after so long, Wave had been sailing with his crewmates for at least four days.

Making it to the Capital had been no easy task, and his travels were filled with suffering due to the bitter cold winter, with long, hard frosts and heavy gales, but being on land made it all seem worthwhile. The warmth of the sun's rays raining down felt like it was just barely kissing his skin, and seeing other faces besides the rough, scarred faces of the sailors was welcome too. He stepped off the plank of the small-sized ship and finally set foot on the harbour. His black hair swayed from side-to-side thanks to the wind, but this too, was a welcome sensation, and Wave places his hands on his hips and breathes in the wonderful air.

His attire was a plain white shirt with a navy blue jacket over it and long, black jeans. He placed one hand into his jeans' pocket and held a bag of the equipment he brought with himself in the other. Then, with an astonished smile on his face, he made his way through the city. The large, black gates positioned at the edge of the harbour made it clear that he was now entering the city, and he gasped as he stared at his surroundings.

Buildings in every direction, skyscrapers scattered in the distance, people strolling through the expansive streets, all of things he was expecting to see, but it still caused him to become gobsmacked. This was nothing compared to the small village that he lived in, working beside his father as a fishermen. He could easily tell just how alive this place was, and he began to initiate a light jog, glancing constantly left and right to take in all of the sights.

Wave wanted to spend more time observing the city, but he knew that priorites were important and sightseeing wasn't one of them. He had been sent here to the Capital for a reason, and he had been ordered to head towards the Central Palace, where the Prince of the Capital and the conference room was.

Wave decided to have another look at his instructions, so he reached for the back pocket of his jacket, right next to where his sword, the Grand Chariot, was fixtured, and pulled out a brown piece of paper. The instructions written down on it were short and simple, just the way he preferred it. Enter the Palace from the main gates, show your weapon to the guards to prove who you are, and head to the conference room where his new teammates should be. Simplicity in itself, and Wave soon found himself right at the front gates of the Palace, right where he should be.

His dark blue eyes blinked a few times as he saw the utter beauty of the building. It was so tall that it seemed like it was reaching for the heavens, and its surface practically glowed as it glimmered from the light of the sun. The gates were golden too, much to Wave's shock, and he immediately began to feel intimidated, though he didn't allow that to be obvious on the outside. He'd been called to the Palace to fight for the innocent people of the Capital, he couldn't back down now.

Two guards, both with their faces covered due to the large helmets on their heads, were positioned in front of the golden gates. One of them, wielding a sharp spear, caught sight of Wave as the sailor boy casually walked towards the gates and pointed the spear at him, threateningly. Wave didn't seem too afraid and simply tilted his head to the side.

"State your business," The guard with the spear commanded in a gruff, deep tone. Wave almost grinned knowingly as he expected something like this, they wouldn't let him in so easily, but he knew how to get in without trouble.

Wave gradually and cautiously unsheathed the black sword behind his back and held it out for the guard to observe. The sword was short, curved and jagged, but the guard stared at it for a prolonged period of time. Wave chuckled, remembering his first reaction when seeing the sword being quite similar to the guard's. The guard eventually lowered his spear, regained his composure and nodding slowly.

"Very well, you may enter."

That was all it took. The guards stepping aside, Wave walked right into the Palace, and advanced towards the conference room.

The palms of his hands began to feel rather sweaty as he strolled through the long, white corridor in the Palace, he was getting anxious. Would his new teammates be friendly? Or reliable? He had no way of knowing, but he could easily assume that they were going to be strong. The team he was about to join was a special force formed by one of the Generals of the Capital's army, a team with only Imperial Arms users in it, and the team's sole purpose was to eradicate the threat of the Revolutionary Army.

The Revolutionary Army, it made Wave feel sick to the stomach simply by thinking of them. An army formed outside on the outskirts of the Capital, focused on destroying the city and everyone in it. Wave had heard of their unjust deeds, such as killing innocent people and torturing prisoners that they could take on their constant raids. They would have to be defeated, all of them, if the peace of the Capital was to be secured, Wave was convinced of that. Perhaps that was why an Imperial Arms chose him.

The Capital had no trouble finding users for the other Imperial Arms they had in their possession, but the Grand Chariot was another story. Apparently, according to the rumours going around in the coast, the Capital couldn't find anyone compatible with the Grand Chariot, an armour-oriented Imperial Arms, so they sent soldiers to search for volunteers outside of the Capital. Wave knew he had to volunteer, he didn't even care about having a weapon as powerful as an Imperial Arms, but his passion to fight for innocent people made him try out the Grand Chariot. Soldiers, villagers, even his own family watched him grab hold of the blue sword and use its power successfully, that memory was one Wave was fond of. There were no questions after that, he was simply ordered to go to the Capital and that's exactly what he did.

Wave continued to walk down the seemingly-endless corridor, glancing at each sign hung above each door. There were a lot of rooms, _too_ many if you asked Wave, but he didn't complain. As an Imperial Arms user, he felt a responsibility to act strong even if he had begun to feel rather tired.

Imperials Arms…he didn't know much about them. He had heard of the legends, of course, like how they were made many years ago by the orders of the Emperor and from the materials of dangerous creatures known as Danger Beasts, and it fascinated him. He would be sure to ask more about the strange, unearthly weapons when he met his teammates, perhaps they could shed some light on the subject. He was curious what other Imperial Arms were out there and what they could do, his own Grand Chariot was the only one he had seen so far.

There it was, written with bold letters above one of the doors at the end of the marble hallway, the conference room. Wave took in a deep breath, lowering his head and clearing his mind. This was it, and he was both excited but nervous, but that wasn't about to stop him. An Imperial Arms had chosen him for a reason, he would have to be brave and try his absolute best.

So he pressed the palm of his right hand onto the surface of the iron-plated door and forcefully pushed it open, a big smile plastered onto his face. He leapt straight into the room and his voice echoed inside.

"Hello all!" He boomed, looking inside the room to see the faces of his brand new teammates.

He sees only one person.

There wasn't much in the room, just a simple, long table in the middle with chairs stacked on each side. There were at least twelve chairs, but only one of them was occupied. The person in the room looked up, munching on what seemed to be a biscuit.

It was a girl, short and young, with piercing black eyes and a blank expression on her face. She seemed to be wearing a black uniform, but in contrast, had samurai-like armour near the edges of her hips. She looked incredibly out of place, and Wave considered the possibility of just turning around and leaving, but he eventually decided against it and walked slowly into the room, his eyes fixed on the girl.

The girl wouldn't drop her stare on him too, and Wave hesitantly stepped backwards as the girl finally put on an expression, an angered one. He held up both of his hands apologetically. Had he done something wrong? Had he spoken too loudly? Did he seem weird to her?

The girl frowned and wrapped both of her skinny arms around the bag in front of her, on the table. She pulled another biscuit out of it, hugged the bag tighter in her arms, and bit into the treat with narrowed eyes.

"You can't have any,"


	2. No 1: Kill The Weak

**Hello all, here's the first actual chapter of this story!**

 **Note: Throughout this story, the perspective will start with Tatsumi, then switch over to Wave.**

 **I'd like to give a special thanks to Flozo23, FSGCCR, judecarangan, DragonMaster128, and Eramis for following/favouring this story! It seriously means a lot to me, thank you for the support. I hope I do not disappoint you. You're absolutely awesome! C:**

 **Feedback is always welcome!**

* * *

Walking, walking, and more walking.

It had begun to almost drive Tatsumi crazy, he had been walking for at least a complete twenty four hours. The first four hours of his journey was done in an excited jog as well, so he felt the desperate urge for a rest.

Not to mention, the weight of the bag balanced on his right shoulder and the iron sword strapped to his side had taken quite the toll on him. A lot of his energy had been drained, and Tatsumi soon found himself coming to a halt as he entered the blackness and dampness of a forest.

In the distance, just beyond the trees that were now obscuring his vision, Tatsumi could make out the outline of a city. He heaved a sigh of relief as he stopped walking completely and leaned against the rough, spiked bark of a tree. He was so close to the Capital now, but he knew that he'd only strain himself if he didn't take a break, so he knelt down beside the nearby tree and relaxed himself, sliding the bag off his shoulder and allowing them to droop.

With a drop of sweat rolling down the side of his left cheek, Tatsumi glanced up at the sky and made out the time by looking at the position of the sun. The sun had nearly set now, it was evening and he knew that he'd have to spend the night in the forest, but at the same time, he'd need to make some sort of shelter. He placed his bag next to a tree and stood up again, observing his surroundings through squinted eyes. He'd have to start soon, before it got dark, if he wanted to make a small shelter.

The sounds of footsteps echo throughout the forest, causing Tatsumi to turn his head in the direct of the noise. The sound was faint but it seemed to be getting louder each time it echoed, though Tatsumi wasn't alarmed by it. They must have been travellers, just like him. He couldn't be the only one wanting to get into the Capital. Tatsumi stood still, his hands resting on his hips, and he observed as a small caravan approached him. There was a miniature cart being pulled by a white, blonde horse, with three armour-covered men marching in front of it.

The men immediately caught sight of the brown-haired boy with ripped, old clothes. They stopped as they reached him, and Tatsumi gave them all a kind, friendly smile.

"Hello, are you heading to the Capital?"

The men hesitated, unsure if they could talk to common folk outside of the city, but the shortest out of them responded after a few seconds.

"Yes, we have weapons that must be taken to the army." The short man said, eyeing Tatsumi curiously. Tatsumi's eyes gleamed with happiness and he took a step forward. Men covered in armour that also have business in the Capital could only mean one thing.

"Are you from the Capital's army?" He questioned with a huge, delighted grin on his face. The second soldier, with a long, black beard chortled at Tatsumi's question and shook his head.

"We wish. We're just part of the Capital's police force."

The third and final guard, being quite tall and having broad shoulders looked down at Tatsumi and raised an eyebrow.

"I assume you're also on your way to the city?"

"Yes, that's right."

"That is a foolish and reckless thing to do, boy. You are young and defenceless, you could get hurt out here."

Tatsumi's smile faded as he heard those words. It was true that he didn't look tough, in fact, he was rather skinny and scrawny for his age, but it irritated him when others presumed that he couldn't take care of himself. He pointed at the sword locked by his hip and frowned.

"But I have a sword," Tatsumi explained, but the tall soldier didn't change his mind.

"Do you know how to use it?"

"Sort of,"

"Sort of isn't good enough, boy. We are trained fighters, able to hold our own against even the toughest of foes, _that_ is why we travel on this road."

The short soldier slowly nodded his head in agreement, though he smiled calmly at Tatsumi to show that he didn't mean to be rude when they were warning him.

"We aren't saying that you are weak, but it would be smart if you stuck beside us for the rest of the way to the Capital. If anything dangerous comes our way, be sure that we will take care of-"

Before the short soldier could finish his boasting, the ground beneath all of them began to shake and shiver, causing the soldiers to pull out their weapons instinctively. Tatsumi held his arms out, attempting to keep his balance, but it felt like an earthquake was erupting under them and he got thrown off his feet, the back of his head colliding with the ground. Tatsumi groaned as the pain seeped in and he watched as something arose around five feet from them. From the ground, a dark, unearthly figure started to crawl out, hissing at the soldiers with their weapons drawn.

It had silver, solid skin with a long, snake-like body and a seemingly-endless amount of little legs, it was a gargantuan centipede.

The soldiers stared at the monster through their widened eyes, unable to fathom the existence of such a creature. Even the tall, broad soldier, the one that acted the toughest in front of Tatsumi, was trembling terribly. The giant, silver centipede growled and shrieked at them, knocking over the soldiers' crates and other things they wanted to transport. The second soldier with his long beard blinked a few times at the beast before wailing.

"It's a Danger Beast!" He cried out, dropping his decorated spear to collapse to the ground.

The tall soldier regains his composure and puts on a brave façade, grinning smugly at the large centipede. He got into a battle stance and pointed his own spear at the monster.

"We're fine, we've been trained for this. Take this, you foul creature!" The tall soldier roared as he leapt forward to strike downwards at the centipede's body.

The spear collides with the metallic skin of the Danger Beast, causing a bright flash of light, but after the blinded light had resided, the tall soldier saw small fragments of his spear floating through the air. The area where the soldier had struck didn't leave a single mark, and the spear was now just small pieces scattered across the ground.

The soldier dropped whatever was left of his spear onto the floor, looking up with disbelief at the Danger Beast. Whatever confidence he had conjured up to attack the creature had now all faded, and he simply closed his eyes as he saw the giant centipede prepare one of its claws to tear through him. This was it. He was just a soldier, and this was a creature that he didn't stood a chance of beating, so he waited quietly for his end to come.

But as the Danger Beast's claw struck down at the soldier, it had been stopped at the last moment, and the sounds of a loud clash of metal echoed around them. The tall soldier opened his eyes again, and saw the brown-haired child blocking the attack with his iron sword. Tatsumi's arms were shivering, struggling against the sheer force of the Danger Beast's claw, but he gradually pushed its claw away and turned back to the soldier.

"Are you alright?" Tatsumi asked, readying himself to fight against the massive centipede with a simple, ordinary sword. The tall soldier nodded, feeling himself about to fall over and lose consciousness.

"Y-Yes,"

"Good, now take cover behind something, I'm going to take care of this thing." He spoke calmly, though the soldiers still took it as a command and did exactly as he asked.

The Danger Beast glared down at the puny human stood before it with its red, bloodshot eyes. It didn't have any thoughts in its small brain except the intent of killing, and it slithered across the ground towards its opponent to do just that. Tatsumi simply watched the centipede advance towards him and unbuttoned his jacket, he hadn't been training with his mentor for some time, so he wondered if he was a little rusty now. He decided that this Danger Beast would be the perfect judge for that. And as he glanced back, seeing three of the Capital's soldiers cowering behind a log, it made him feel proud. For the first time, after all those years of intense training, he'd be able to show someone what he was capable of.

The Danger Beast chose to attack first, bringing its head close in order to bite the human in front of it. Tatsumi stepped away and watched as the sharp, jagged teeth of the creature just barely missed his foot. He misjudged the Danger Beast's speed. Tatsumi then took the opportunity to strike the centipede's head while it was wide open. He raised his sword upwards and stabbed directly into the creature's forehead, wincing as green blood spurted out from the hole he had made. The Danger Beast shrieked and released a blood-gurgling scream as it pulled away, and Tatsumi allowed the strangely-coloured blood to drip off the edge of his sword.

Tatsumi didn't wait for the Danger Beast to attack the next time, he darted forward and sliced clean threw its metallic body, before jumping up to reach the head again. That was the creature's weak spot, Tatsumi was certain of it. He gripped the end of his sword as strong as he could and slashed forward, cutting its head into two, with one of its red eyeballs crashing into the ground near the hiding soldiers. Tatsumi landed back onto the floor safely, taking a quick sigh as he observed the Danger Beast move and wriggle around slightly, even without its head. But, the creature's body soon falls along with its separated head and goes stiff.

That was Tatsumi's first time against a Danger Beast, though it had ended far quicker than he would have liked. He didn't feel discouraged, however, as he knew he'd be fighting much stronger enemies once he joined the Capital's army. He gradually held his sword close to himself and sheathed it back into place, strapped right to his waist. He then turned around and gave a thumbs up to the cowardly soldiers to let them know it was safe to come out. The soldiers hesitated for the first few moments, but then they came rushing out, grabbing the boy by the shoulders and laughing nervously.

"You actually killed that thing? Is it seriously dead?" The short soldier blurted out, grabbing Tatsumi's right hand and shaking it, as though the boy was royalty.

Tatsumi couldn't deny it, he enjoyed the praising. The bearded soldier went up to the corpse of the centipede and nudged it a few times with his foot, chuckling in a relieved manner. Their smiles were genuine, they saw Tatsumi as a young child with potential, and Tatsumi had become rather fond of them. They were afraid of most things, despite their appearances, but they were pure-hearted and kind. He had made his choice, he'd go the rest of the way to the Capital with them.

"We don't even know your name," The tall soldier said, a happy yet restless expression on his face.

"It's Tatsumi," He responded cheerfully, and all three of the soldiers laugh wholeheartedly, they liked the name.

"Thank you for assisting us, really."

"No problem. And I've decided to take you up on your offer, I'll go with you guys for the rest of the way."

"Great! Then let's get move-!" The short soldier had begun to exclaim, placing his right hand onto Tatsumi's shoulder

Then the crackling and deafening sound of a shot rang inside Tatsumi's ears and the short soldier in front of him had a large hole through the side of his skull. The soldier remained stiff for a moment, but then his body went limp, his smile faded, and he dropped to the ground, dead.

Tatsumi had never seen a man die before, and he felt the urge to throw up as he saw the man he was just talking to now just a body on the floor. Tatsumi placed his hands over his mouth and gasped, taking a few steps backwards. He had no idea how the man had suddenly died, but his question was soon answered. Dark, shadowy figures descended from the trees, moving like darkness through the night. Tatsumi couldn't properly see them as the figures moved like blurs, running straight towards the two remaining soldiers.

Those soldiers were good men, Tatsumi had just saved them, he couldn't simply stand by and watch. Tatsumi didn't even care what kind of creatures were lurking in the shadows, he instinctively moved towards the two soldiers and unsheathed his sword, holding it out threateningly. The shadowy figures weren't fazed by Tatsumi's actions and continued to move ominously in the blankets of darkness in the night, and Tatsumi knew that he was at a disadvantage. Whatever was here with them could see _him_ , but he couldn't see _them._

Then, while all the others watch, one of the shadowy figures pounced out and darted towards Tatsumi, and moved faster than his eyes could follow. Whatever it was, it grabbed Tatsumi by the shirt in an instant and tossed him to the side like he had no weight whatsoever. Tatsumi tasted blood in his mouth when he crashed against the ground, and while he was scrambling to his feet, he could see that it was already too late. The dark figure had reached the two defenceless soldiers, and Tatsumi could only watch what happened next.

The figure pulled out a sharp, triangular spear from behind his or her back and swung it one time, instantly cutting the two soldiers into half, separating their lower halves from their torsos. Tatsumi watched as the soldiers screamed out in agony during their final moments, intestines and other internal organs exploding out of their brutally cut bodies. Without realizing it, Tatsumi had his sword pointed at the figure that had just killed two innocent men. His body moved by itself, charging at the figure to cut him or her apart.

But something sharp pressing against his throat stopped him in place, someone was standing behind him with their blade on his neck. Tatsumi gasped from both the shock of the blade coming out of nowhere, and from the pain that he could feel as the blade almost cuts through his flesh. Daringly, Tatsumi took in a deep breath and slowly turned himself around to the person holding him in place with their weapon.

It was a girl, with a young and emotionless face. The girl glared at Tatsumi with her glowing, red, devilish eyes and whispered into his ears.

"Eliminate,"

* * *

Wave had never been in a more awkward situation than the one he had currently been stuck with.

He was in a large room, with marble floorings and expensive tea sets at the table he had sat at, but the silence was killing him. Opposite him, a girl was quietly eating her snacks, only speaking once to tell Wave that he cannot have any. Wave didn't even give any indication that wanted any, but she warned him nonetheless.

Wave shuffled around uncomfortably in his chair, staring anxiously at the door, hoping that someone normal would walk in and make him feel welcome. However, no one had entered and ten minutes had already passed since when Wave first came into this room. Instead, he decided to speak up to the silent girl opposite him. She wasn't social, as far as he could tell, and she had given him a cold remark on his way in, but she was still a teammate of his now. Perhaps one day, she'd be the one to save his life, or he'll be the one saving hers. He'd need to talk to her, even if it was just an exchange of a few words.

Wave straightened himself, cleared his throat loudly to get the girl's attention, and started speaking.

"Um, my name is Wave." He spoke hesitantly to her and waited for a response, but he didn't receive one, so he continued. "What's your name?"

The girl finally looked away from her bag of treats and glared at Wave coldly, looking like someone that had been interrupted when watching their favourite television show. She held to the glare for a few tense seconds before finally answering his question.

"Kurome."

And just like that, silence dawned on them both again. Wave almost regretted asking in the first place, nothing had changed except for the fact that he knew her name. Kurome went straight back to looking at her bag of treats the moment she answered him, and Wave sighed, it was hopeless.

Then the door to the conference room finally opened and people entered inside, and Wave almost jumped out of his chair when he saw other people. A big smile on his face.

But the smile soon subsided as he saw properly the people who had entered the room.

One of them was a middle aged man with glasses, dropping rose petals at his own feet with every step that he took. He giggled like a woman as he made his entrance, as though he was in love with himself, and sent a quick wink right at Wave. Another teammate had his face covered with a gas mask, wearing no shirt, and he said nothing as he sat down at the table. Next, a normal-looking girl with a bright smile and her dog leapt into the room. Wave finally found himself grinning again, at least there was one normal person in the team. She burst into the room, spreading her cheerful mood upon them all, and exclaimed.

"Hello, protectors of justice! My name is Seryu from the police force, it's nice to meet you all!"

Wave stood up, watching the small, white dog of hers dash around the room excitedly, reflecting its master's own display of personality. Wave was the only one to reply.

"It's nice to meet you too," He chuckled back, calmly walking up to her and shaking her hand. "I'm Wave."

"Well met, Wave!"

The tall, sleek man in a scientist coat wandered up to them, ending their handshake, and grinned at both of them. He readjusted his glasses and patted Wave on the back.

"Yes, we've heard quite a bit about you, Wave. I'm Doctor Stylish, and this is Boros." He cackled in a manner that Wave didn't like, pointing to the man with the gas mask who had now sat on a chair, silently staring at them.

"Doctor…Stylish…?" Wave repeated, finding it difficult to believe that one of his new teammates was called by such an absurd name.

"Indeed!" He giggled back, holding out his glove-covered hands and doing a small, peculiar dance for Wave. "It is what I call myself since I strive to make everything stylish, perfect, flawless, and _gorgeous_!"

Wave decided right then and there that this 'doctor' couldn't be trusted, and he found himself becoming more fond of the silent, masked man named Boros than the scientist in front of him. He didn't speak out his thoughts, however, and simply nodded politely at Doctor Stylish to pretend that he wasn't afraid of him. They all sat at the table now, looking at each other curiously, and the door to the room opened one last time as the last team member stepped inside.

He had blonde hair and a sharp expression on his face, and he didn't smile when he entered. He just gave a brief, polite bow for everyone and sat down on the last chair at the table.

"Hello, I am Run, pleasure to make your acquaintance." He muttered as he glanced at Wave with his yellow, slightly hazel-coloured eyes. Wave wondered why Run only decided to look at him, though he didn't speak up about it. Everyone was here now, and Wave looked around to observe his new team.

"Well," Doctor Stylish boomed, standing up from his seat and waving his arms about. "Now that we're all here, let's get to the proper introductions. I'll go first."

"Very well," whispered Run, nodded slowly in concurrence.

"I am Doctor Stylish, and my Imperial Arms are God's Hands: The Perfector! They give me the stylish ability to make the most perfect and exquisite creations!"

"Like my trump cards," Seryu explained with a large smile plastered on her face, she was next to stand up and speak. "I am Seryu Ubiquitous, former member of the imperial police! My Imperial Arms is Coro here, my faithful companion."

Seryu then held up her small dog in her arms and Wave simply stared cluelessly at it. That was her Imperial Arms? A dog? He didn't know how such an Imperial Arms could exist, or what the dog was actually capable of, but he suddenly found himself not wanting to pet that animal anymore. Seryu sat down after introducing herself and Wave looked around, this was probably his moment now, as everyone was looking at him. He stood up from his chair, put on the best smile he could, and placed his hands on his hips.

"My name is Wave, from the Imperial Navy. My Imperial Arms is the Grand Chariot."

Then Wave sat down again. He wasn't expected a round of applause or anything, but the grins and intrigued looks that he received from the teammates was nice. Even Kurome raised an eyebrow. Wave started wondering, was his Imperial Arms _that_ impressive? He wasn't sure, but he was certainly feeling that kind of vibe. Then Run, looking the most serious out of all of them, rose up and bowed again.

"I am Run, former teacher on the east side of the Capital. The Imperial Arms that I wield is the Thousand Mile Flight, Mastema. I am not quite experienced with it yet, but I shall try my best." Run informed the team before dropping back into his seat. Once again, it was another Imperial Arms that Wave had never heard of, and he was curious of what it could do.

Kurome bit into and gulped down another biscuit and peered inside of her bag, it was now empty. Reluctantly, she got up and tossed the bag away, unsheathing her blade and holding it out to the team with one hand.

"It's Kurome and this is Yatsufusa." She whispered simply, allowing the blade's end to glimmer elegantly from the light coming from outside. Kurome then sheathed the blade right back, sat down, and frowned as she wanted another bag of treats.

The man with the gas mask was the last one to stand up and introduce himself, and when he did, Wave saw all of the thick muscles practically pulsating out of his body. There were scars across his chest and large veins stuck out from his arms. He looked strong and rough and Wave expected his personality to reflect this, but instead the masked man got up and started fidgeting like a girl, and Wave was sure that the man was blushing behind his mask.

"M-My name…is Boros…and I was part of an execution squad…and my Imperial Arms is the Purgatory Invitation, the Rubicante." He stuttered and paused, still fidgeting about strangely. Wave felt one of his eyelids twitching as he listened to the introduction, Boros' behaviour was hands down the most gobsmacking thing he had seen all day. "It is a flamethrower, and it has served me many times in my…executions."

A flamethrower, now _that_ made sense to Wave. At least it was an Imperial Arms that he could understand as a weapon, along with Kurome's Yatsufusa, but he couldn't possibly begin to imagine what the other Imperial Arms did and how they operated. Though, he supposed that he'd find out soon enough, so he decided against asking his teammates.

"So," Wave said, folding his arms and glancing at the grandfather clock sitting at one of the corners of the room, simply collecting dust. "Things must be getting pretty bad if the Capital has formed a team of Imperial Arms users to battle the rebels, huh?"

"Yes…" Seryu sniffed, patting her dog softly in its head. "Justice is now at risk because of the criminals that threaten to destroy our way of life. They need to be stopped."

Her words sounding honest and true to Wave as he listened quietly, but for some reason, Wave still felt uneasy once he had heard her speak. She spoke normally, acted normally, and gave Wave a kind smile every time he looked at her, but something was wrong. Something was off about her. Wave could feel it. He had never questioned his instinct too, so he noted to himself to keep a safe distance away from the girl until he could get a better read on her.

"It is strange, however," Run mumbled, flipping through one of the pages of a book he had brought with himself. "The Revolutionary Army shouldn't be as strong as it currently is, and with our King collecting as many Imperial Arms as possible, the rebels should not be posing a threat to us."

"That's because the Revolutionary Army have gotten their hands on Imperial Arms themselves." Kurome explained in a bored manner, as though everyone should have already known this, but no one else did. They were all told to fight the rebels threatening the Capital, they hadn't been told about the rest.

"So…we'll be facing Imperial Arms users ourselves?" Wave asked, hoping that the answer to his question would be no, but as Kurome nodded her head at him, he lowered his own head as he felt discouraged. This was even more dangerous than he had predicted.

"Then we must be on our guard," Run spoke as he closed his book, not feeling nearly as nervous as Wave was now feeling. "You all know the rule of a battle between Imperial Arms users, right?"

"No," Wave admitted sheepishly, raising his hand. "I don't."

"The rule is simple and has been true for every battle that has ever occurred. If two Imperial Arms users both fight with the intent to kill, one is guaranteed to die, no matter what."

"Huh…" Wave whispered, feeling the weight of all of this dropping down onto him. He knew he had an Imperial Arms himself, but he also knew now that his life was still very much in danger.

"Do not fret," Doctor Stylish cackled, sensing Wave's fear and dismay. He did another short dance for the team and held out his black gloves. "With my stylish inventions, nothing will stand in our way!"

Wave only felt worse after hearing that from someone so weird.

The door to the conference once again opened, and everyone in the team turned their heads to see who was entering. All of the team members were here, so they didn't know who else could want to come to the room. Wave watched as Kurome stood up and held the handle of her sword cautiously, observing the door slowly open, and Wave gulped down his own saliva anxiously.

A woman stepped inside, striding into the room confidently and without a care in the world. Wave took a good look at her and raised an eyebrow. The woman was slender, tall, and rather beautiful. She had light blue hair going down her back and her sides, and her slightly darker blue eyes felt like it was staring directly into Wave's soul. She donned a General's normal attire with a white hat on her head, and Wave's mouth gaped open. A General?

The woman grinned happily as she looked at everyone in the room curiously, as though approving them from a simple glance. She eventually walked towards the table, where the teammates were gathered, and her high heels clicked against the marble floor loudly, as though announcing her mighty presence. Run was the first to gain the courage to say something to the woman, though he spoke rather quietly as he did so.

"Excuse me, but who are you?"

The blue-haired woman's grin only grew once her heard that question and she folded her arms. A frosty, chilling atmosphere emitted from her, biting Wave to the bone with fright, and the woman could feel it. She answered softly, but her words made everyone's hearts pounce.

"I am General Esdeath, and _you_ are my new servants."


	3. No 2: Kill The Beliefs

Tatsumi's body coiled backwards, sliding out of the girl's grip and holding out his sword confidently.

He glared the girl that had just put a sword to his throat. She was young, around his age, and had red eyes that glowed ominously in the blankets of darkness of the night. Tatsumi glanced at the soldiers that he had saved just moments ago, seeing two of them missing half their bodies, and the third soldier with a large bullet hole through his skull. It sent a sickening feeling to Tatsumi's stomach, they had been killed like animals in a matter of seconds by the dark figures.

Whoever these people were, they hid in the shadows and Tatsumi couldn't see them properly. The only one that he could currently see was the girl with the black hair and red eyes, and the girl was now slowly advancing towards him. She held her samurai-like sword beside her and pointing it at Tatsumi before leaping forward.

"Eliminate."

Tatsumi had his sword out in front of him defensively, ready to block any attack. He had just killed a Danger Beast, a couple of assassins couldn't possibly be too much for him to take down.

But then, much to Tatsumi's surprise, the girl had disappeared. His eyes lost track of her, but the girl soon emerged behind him, as though she had teleported. She stepped forward and slashed her sword at him, hoping to kill him with one cut, but Tatsumi deflected the attack with his own sword at the final moment. He slowly stepped backwards, his heart pounding and his eyes widened.

The girl with the red eyes hadn't teleported, Tatsumi realized that now. His eyes had lost sight of her for another reason.

She simply moved too fast for him to see.

Sweat rolled down Tatsumi's face as he watched the female assassin prepare to attack again, and he starts worrying. How could someone move so fast that it wasn't possible to see them? He had never met such an opponent before, and blocking the girl's attack was by sheer luck. He couldn't imagine himself being able to do it again.

Still, he also couldn't just drop his sword and wait for the heartless assassins to kill him like they had killed the innocent soldiers, so he decided he would be the one to attack next. He darted forward to the girl with red eyes and stabbed his sword forward. He had moved as fast as he possibly could, with the wind flowing through his brown hair and across his face, he knew that he had reached his top speed.

The girl observed the attack calmly and sidestepped to the right, dodging the stab effortlessly, and kicked Tatsumi in the gut, sending him flying across the ground. The rocks on the ground cut into his forehead and caused it to start bleeding, and Tatsumi had trouble breathing. The kick to his stomach was so strong that he was gasping for air, but wasn't properly receiving any of it.

Tatsumi knelt on the ground, seeing his sword lying uselessly by his side. His head lowered itself and his shoulders drooped. He could understand now, he was significantly outclassed. The girl didn't even see the attack as a threat, she only saw it as a nuisance. And even if he could somehow defeat her, he knew that there were more of them hiding in the shadows, waiting for their turn.

The girl stood still for a few moments, waiting to see if Tatsumi would get up again, but Tatsumi looked at her with empty eyes and shook his head.

"I don't stand a chance. Just kill me." He whispered, closing his eyes and waiting for the end. The girl heard those words and stepped forward without hesitation. Tatsumi wasn't even sure if the girl had understood what he had said, but she walked up to him anyway and held her sword up high, about to bring it down to behead him.

"Eliminate." The girl repeated, slower and quieter this time than the first. Tatsumi heard that and prepared himself, his eyes still closed.

He waited for the sensation of a sword cutting through his neck, but for a while, he felt nothing. Confused, he gradually opened his eyes again and stared at the girl that was supposed to kill him. She looked down upon him, glaring at him silently with her red, crimson eyes, but she eventually decided to speak properly to him.

"You moved well," She muttered, her tone not making it sound like a compliment. Her expression was blank and she did not show any signs of smiling, so Tatsumi felt uneasy. Was she giving him a false sense of security before she killed him?

"I thought you were going to kill me."

"I want to ask you a question first."

"What is it?"

The girl stared directly at him, watching Tatsumi's expression carefully to see he would lie to her. Tatsumi had no idea if she could tell if he lied, but he decided not to take the chance.

"Why did you try to defend those soldiers?"

"Why? Because they were innocent, and you're cold-blooded murderers." Tatsumi retorted, hate seething in his voice, but the girl took no notice. She observed him carefully and knew that he wasn't lying.

Another figure in the shadows stepped out, standing beside the girl with the red eyes. This person was also a female, but taller and had short, blonde hair. Her eyes were piercing and firm, but she had a playful look on her face. She grinned at Tatsumi, listening in to his answer, and shook her head.

"Innocent? I mean, yeah, we _are_ murderers, but _those_ guys were not innocent." Leone sighed with exhausted disappointment. "You're a young kid, so naivety is inevitable, but you mustn't judge people on their appearances. Those men, no matter how the acted like in front of you, were monsters."

Tatsumi didn't dare believe it.

"They did nothing wrong! They just wanted to take weapons to the troops in the Capital!" Tatsumi protested, wondering if the blonde woman was trying to test the strength of his beliefs.

"Oh boy, don't tell me you're faithful to the Capital too? Geez, you're even more naïve than I thought." The blonde woman muttered, her smile gone. She walked past the corpses of the three soldiers they had killed and pointed at the caravan. "They said the weapons were in here, right? Tell me, kid, do you want to see what's _really_ inside?"

"What…do you mean?"

"Look for yourself." The blonde woman said as she pulled off the white flaps covering the contents inside of the small, wooden caravan.

The sight that Tatsumi was then presented with was horrifying, and Tatsumi throw up once he had laid eyes upon it.

He coughed up on the floor, gasping and wheezing. He did not expect something like that to be hidden, but he felt so sick that he had trouble standing up.

Inside the caravan were corpses. But not normal ones, not the ones that you would normally see. These bodies were torn apart. Ribcages poking out of their chests, limbs facing different directions, crushed eyeballs and cut-out tongues, twisting necks and other corpses that had been ripped to shreds, to the point where you couldn't even understand that they were human bodies. Whatever nightmares that Tatsumi could dream of, it was in that caravan, and the stench of blood and guts filled the air, causing Tatsumi to throw up once more, and the assassins in the shadows simply watched.

Once Tatsumi was done, he wiped his lips and coughed a few more times. He had been protecting soldiers that had been carrying such a cargo with them. Tatsumi had seen their faces and actually talked to monstrous people like them. Hell, he even fought a Danger Beast to save their lives, not knowing that they had created a bloodbath of people and had hidden it from him. Tatsumi didn't care who the people were or what they did, no one deserved such a cruel and gruesome death.

Tatsumi glanced back at the tall, blonde woman and the young girl with red eyes standing above him. He eventually got to his feet, averted his eyes from the caravan, and spoke.

"I…I didn't know…" was all the Tatsumi could muster from the shock. The blonde woman nodded her head, believing him, and sighed.

"Anyone can be a monster, kid, and you just risked your life to save them because you thought they were innocent."

"Why…would they even do that to people?"

The blonde woman paused now, showing hesitation for the first time. She wondered for a moment if she should share such information to the boy that they were supposed to kill, but she eventually decided to tell.

"They worked for the Revolutionary Army, have you heard of it?"

"Yes…they want to destroy the Capital."

"Well, not _destroy_ it, a form of liberation is more of our goal."

"You're with the Revolutionary Army?!" Tatsumi gasped, taking a quick step backwards. He had heard of the rebels that opposed the Capital and how they were seen as evil and destructive people across the land.

But the thought immediately rushed into Tatsumi's mind, if they were evil, why hadn't they killed him yet? Did they want to show him the errors of his way before ending his life? He didn't know, but the girl with red eyes had the same thoughts in her mind and held her sword upwards at Tatsumi again.

"He knows about our mission and has seen our faces." She spoke in a monotone voice to the blonde woman next to her, wanting approval. "Should I kill him?"

The blonde woman turned and stared at Tatsumi for what seemed to be the longest time, and Tatsumi's heart was pounding with fear the entire time. However, eventually, the blonde woman shook her head and grinned.

"Nah, we don't need to kill him."

"But he knows too much, we cannot let him go."

"I know," The blonde woman giggled, walking over casually to Tatsumi and grabbing hold of his right hand. "That's why we won't be leaving him here. Tell me, kid, what's your name?"

"T-Tatsumi…" He responded, a confused look on his face as he had no clue what was going to happen. The blonde woman's smile grew and she pulled him forward, glaring directly into his eyes.

"Well, Tatsumi, how would you like to join us?"

"Join…you?"

"Yep, how does that sound? If you stick with us, we don't have to kill you." she giggled. "And besides, we're always short on members."

Tatsumi blinked a few times, listening to what the amused, blonde woman had to say, and waiting for himself to wake up. This had to be a dream. He couldn't have possibly ended up in such a situation.

But it was real, all of it was, and Tatsumi found himself in a difficult place. He had no plans of joining a group of assassins, even if what they said was true and that they were fighting for justice, but he also had no plans of dying. He nodded slowly and reluctantly, seeing no way out of the current situation. He had no doubts that they would just kill him where he stood if he refused.

"A-Alright, I accept."

"Great! Now then, let's get outta here before more soldiers show up!" The blonde woman cheered happily, and the girl with red eyes sheathed her sword and agreed with the decision, much to Tatsumi's relief.

What happened next, however, was something Tatsumi would never forget.

The blonde woman gripped tighter onto his right hand and leapt into the sky, dragging him into the air. Tatsumi yelped with fright, for both his fear of heights, and because he was not expecting the blonde woman to be able to jump up so high. He was now above the forest and the trees below him began to seem tiny as they flew higher up into the sky.

The other assassins, who had been watching from the shadows, leapt upwards as well, and their faces and appearances were finally revealed, illuminated by the moonlight above them. Tatsumi stared at them with widened eyes, they hovered in the air, almost like angels, and Tatsumi had never seen people who looked quite the same.

One was a tall man covered in white armour from head-to-toe, staring at Tatsumi with glowing, yellow eyes from behind his helmet. Tatsumi also saw a pink-haired girl with what seemed to be a black, metallic gun in her arms and a green-haired male with white strings flowing through his fingers. The last person he saw was a woman with what seemed to be a massive pair of scissors in her hands, and Tatsumi realized it now.

He was about to the peculiar, strange group, and he had no idea what was waiting in store for him.

The blonde woman finally landed on top of one of the trees, making sure not to let go of Tatsumi, and laughed at him with a large, excited grin on her face.

"Welcome to Night Raid."

* * *

Wave had never met a woman that could radiate such an aura of power and strength simply by entering a room, but he had now.

The female that called herself Esdeath smiled at everyone in a satisfied manner. She walked across the room, her arms folded and her eyes locked on each of her new fighters. She took her time when looking at each individual, but her gaze seemed to last slightly longer on Wave, much to his discomfort. She eventually held out her index finger and pointed at him.

"I recognize everyone here except you, boy. You were not in the papers, what's your name?"

"I am Wave, General Esdeath." Wave answered immediately as he bowed his head to her. Esdeath showed no signs of being pleased from the respect she had received from him.

"What Imperial Arm do you wield?"

"The Grand Chariot."

Then Esdeath's smile returned and she nodded her head understandingly.

"Ah, yes, you're not from the Capital. That explains it. Welcome, Wave." She spoke, her voice booming throughout the entire room.

Wave could feel it immediately, he was completely imitated by the General, and she could feel his fear. Esdeath's majestic, blue hair swayed from side-to-side as she walked over to the last chair that was at end of the long table. It was only when she sat that everyone else sat down too, they wouldn't dare do anything that wasn't without her permission.

Esdeath took off her hat and placed it gently onto the table, allowing her blue hair to fully flow down her back. Wave gulped down and felt his heart racing, he didn't want to admit it but he was also surprised by how beautiful the General was. When Wave thought of a General, he'd imagine someone old and covered in scars, but Esdeath was the exact opposite of that.

She was youthful, simply a young adult, and there wasn't a single scar on her. Wave couldn't even begin to imagine how a girl as gorgeous as her could have been so strong as to become a General, but he didn't speak out about it. Wave's other teammates seemed like they knew who she was, but by the astonished looks on their faces, Wave could guess that none of them had actually seen Esdeath in person.

"I'm glad you could all make it. The Capital needs every single one of you." Esdeath begun, welcoming the teammates. She leaned back comfortably in her chair and crossed her legs. "I apologize for my own tardiness, I was busy with conquering the North."

"You conquered the North all by yourself…?" Seryu questioned with a bright, envious grin on her face, with her dog sitting quietly in her arms.

"Not by myself, of course. I had an army of around two hundred men by my side, though most of them are dead now."

"Excuse me," Wave whispered, feeling rather shy in the General's presence. "Are you an Imperial Arm user as well, General Esdeath?"

"Yes," She grinned, pointing to the black tattoo spread across her chest. "I am."

Wave stared at the tattoo hesitantly. He wasn't certain if he could look openly at her chest, but the unearthly shape of the tattoo intrigued him, and he found it difficult to look away. It spiked outwards but was also in the shape of a spiral, and its black colour was as dark as night. Wave had no idea what kind of Imperial Arms the General had within her, but the aura emitting from her assured him that it was something more powerful than any of them.

"But enough about me, I want to talk about you all." Esdeath said. "We have urgent issues to discuss."

"Like the rebels trying to get into the Capital." Run guessed, holding his reading book in his right hand. Esdeath nodded.

"Yes, they've been a nuisance for a while, but that's all they've been, nuisances that don't appear to be a threat. However, the Emperor has told me that the Revolutionary Army have gotten stronger, with some of them acquiring their own Imperial Arms. I have direct orders from the Emperor to get rid of them immediately."

"That's why you formed this team?" Boros asked quietly and in a shy manner. Once again, Esdeath nodded.

"Yes, because as everyone knows, it takes an Imperial Arms to defeat another Imperial Arms. Normal soldiers won't do, they're far too weak and feeble. _We_ , on the other hand, will eradicate them quickly." Esdeath stated, sounding rather bored through the whole thing. Victory against the Revolutionary Army wasn't really on her mind, it didn't seem like it would take very long.

"Sounds wonderful to me!" Doctor Stylish laughed, waving his gloves around and grinning. "We'll kill them in the most stylish way possible!"

"Agreed. All evil must be made to pay, without fail!" Seryu cheered, with Coro leaping up and down on her lap.

Esdeath grinned with satisfaction again, and even Wave began smiling, they would stop and defeat the evil ones. They would destroy the Revolutionary Army and keep the innocent people safe, Wave could see it, he would become a hero.

Esdeath leaned across the table and picked up her hat again, placing it onto her head. She stood up, placed her hands on her hips, and giggled.

"Well, let's start moving now. We'll need to test out your abilities and your Imperial Arms immediately."

"Where are we going?" Kurome asked in a monotone voice, not bothering to get out of her chair until she knew where her destination was.

"To a camp of rebels just outside of the Capital's walls. It's a small camp and not really much of a threat, but it will be good practice for you all."

Then Esdeath walked over to the door confidently and turned around, a huge grin plastered on her face as small parts of ice curled around the edge of her skin.

"This will be your first mission too, so try not to disappoint."


	4. No 3: Kill The Rebels

**Hello all, it's time for the next chapter!**

 **Special thanks to mageknight14 for following and favouring this story. Thanks a bunch, you're seriously awesome. I hope you enjoy future chapters!**

 **Feedback is always welcome~! C:**

* * *

Everything in Tatsumi's life had been turned upside down, and it was only getting stranger.

He passed out from the shock after seeing the assassins that were taking him somewhere and he couldn't remember anything that happened on the way. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying in a bed with sheets covering his whole body.

His head ached, his body felt weak, and he didn't want to get up, but he did. He had no idea where he was and this wasn't the time for relaxing. He slid out of the white sheets, gave a quick yawn, and got to his feet.

He was in small room, empty except for his bed, and the only window in the room was barred heavily and had wooden planks strapped to it. He couldn't see outside.

Tatsumi's hair was a mess once again, but that was the least of his concerns. He slowly stepped to the closed door of his bedroom and opened it, peering curiously outside. There was a small corridor outside with steps going downwards. He must have been on the first or second floor of whatever building he was in. He took in a deep breath and stepped outside of the bedroom and walked down the corridor.

There was nothing remarkable about the interior of the building. There were wooden walls everywhere, like his old house, but there were no decorations. No paintings, no wallpapers, nothing.

Tatsumi approached the steep stairs and walked down them, treading carefully, and he reached the bottom. What awaited him at the bottom was an expansive hall, with what seemed to be a few people standing inside of it.

Tatsumi wondered if he should enter the hall and speak to the people inside, or to simply go back upstairs to his room. Eventually, he gathered all of his courage and advanced into the hall to find out where he was.

When he stepped inside, he was immediately greeted by a tall, middle-aged woman with an eye patch over her right eye. She was sitting on what looked like a throne, or at least, a very fancy chair. The woman nodded when she saw Tatsumi and grinned.

"Good morning, Tatsumi, you're an early bird." She said, motioning her arm to Tatsumi to get him to come closer. He walked up to her, but she didn't get out of her chair. "Everyone else will be here in a moment, they're just getting ready."

"Um," Tatsumi hesitated, glancing back to the three people standing in the hall with him. One was a purple-haired woman and a green-haired boy, looking around his age. "Where am I?"

"You're at our base. This is where you will stay as long as you are a member of Night Raid."

That name sounded familiar to Tatsumi and he remembered what happened the night before. He had been confronted by these people and they asked him to join them, the group called Night Raid. Tatsumi had to accept the offer, of course, or they would have killed him right there. He still felt uncertain about being a part of the group, but at the same time, if these people were actually peacekeepers, he wanted to know more about them.

"I didn't exactly choose to be a part of this group." Tatsumi admitted, staring at the woman sitting in front of him.

The woman glared back at Tatsumi with her purple eyes and brushed a small part of her white hair out of her face, using what seemed to be a mechanical arm to do so.

"Yes, I've heard of the circumstances of your recruitment. Usually, I wouldn't allow any random person to join our cause, but Akame says you have potential, and I would never doubt her words."

"Akame? Who is that?"

"The fighter you fought against last night, she was the one that convinced me to let you join."

Tatsumi once again reached through his memories and recalled the girl he fought. The one with a sharp blade and incredible speed, and those red eyes that were difficult to forget.

"I see." Tatsumi grumbled.

Then a few more people burst into the hall, not looking nearly as sleepy as Tatsumi did.

"Ah," The purple-eyed woman smiled, seeing the group members advance towards her. "You're all here, good. It's time to introduce yourselves to your new teammate. Akame, you go first, and don't forget to tell him what Imperial Arms you use."

"Imperial Arms?" asked Tatsumi, a raised eyebrow on his face. "I thought those weapons were a myth."

"They're not." Akame, the red-eyed girl muttered, holding out her blade for Tatsumi to see. "This is my Imperial Arms, the Murusame."

"W-Woah," Tatsumi mumbled as he gazed upon the ominous blade. He didn't know what was special about it, but it looked dangerous.

"I shall introduce myself next. My name is Sheele, and this is my Imperial Arms, the Extase." The purple-haired woman spoke softly, holding out a giant pair of scissors. Tatsumi stared at the weapon in disbelief for a few moments, he didn't know how a weapon like that could even be practical.

"I'm Bulat." A large, muscular man chuckled next, grinning suggestively at Tatsumi in a way that made him uncomfortable. "I wield Incursio, the strongest armour there is."

A pink-haired girl, both younger and shorter than Tatsumi, stepped forward next and made a face at Tatsumi before sighing.

"Should we really be letting him join us? He's just a boy we picked up off the streets, and he doesn't even have his own Imperial Arms."

"Just introduce yourself, geez." A green-haired boy retorted back and they both started to glare at each other.

The pink-haired girl remained silent for a while, staring hatefully at Tatsumi, but she eventually gave in and decided to do as she was told.

"Fine, my name is Mine and I use the Pumpkin. It's a gun-type Imperial Arms."

"See? That wasn't so hard." The green-haired boy snickered at Mine before giving his own introduction. "Hey, dude, the name's Lubbock. I wield the Cross Tail, the best Imperial Arms there is."

"No, it's not." Mine hissed back.

"Yeah, it is. You're just jealous." Lubbock laughed back, holding out his gloves to her to show off.

"Anyway," The blonde woman stood in front of them groaned, having enough of their ramblings. "I'm Leone, and I use the Lionel belt. Maybe, if you're a good boy, I'll let you see what it does."

Leone was far too flirty for Tatsumi, but he found himself blushing anyway. He cleared his throat, turned the other way, and faced the woman that seemed to be the boss of the group.

"So, who are you?"

"I am Najenda, the current leader of Night Raid."

"And what's your Imperial Arms?"

"I don't have one."

Tatsumi blinked a few times at Najenda with a blank expression on his face. She didn't even wield a legendary weapon like the others, but was still the leader of the ones that _did_ wield them. He had no idea how that came to be, but he presumed that she must have had an incredible level of strength.

"Welcome to the team, Tatsumi!" Bulat boomed, patting Tatsumi gently on the head. Tatsumi looked up to see Bulat's bright smile, he didn't seem that creepy after all.

"T-Thanks, but I still don't really know what this team is about or what 'Imperial Arms' are." Tatsumi whispered, still mostly in the dark about things.

Najenda nodded understandingly and began to explain.

"Well, firstly, Night Raid is a special operations group sided with the Revolutionary Army. We work in the shadows, silently taking down forces deemed powerful in the Capital in order to weaken them. The Revolutionary Army is preparing for war, a war that will determine if the Capital can continue to exist or not. Our mission is to make the Capital as vulnerable as possible for when the time comes."

"A…war…? Are things in the Capital really that bad?" Tatsumi muttered. He had been raised his entire life hearing how wonderful and peaceful it was, so it was rather difficult to fathom.

"Indeed. What you saw at that caravan, people being slaughtered like animals, are a regular thing in the Capital. It is hidden and is mostly never talked about, and the people who do know what happens in the heart of the Capital are quickly found and executed in public. They'll make excuses for why they're killing people, such as them being heretics or thieves, but their real motive is obvious and it frightens the people."

"That's how they control the people, Tatsumi." Akame spoke, continuing for Najenda. Tatsumi heard how firm and strong her voice was and felt slightly intimidated by her. "They control the public by fear. Few people dare speak up about the injustice looming in the Capital, and the ones that do are tortured or killed immediately. They must be stopped."

Tatsumi lowered his head and listened to what they were telling him. If there was one thing he couldn't tolerate, it was injustice. And what he saw in that caravan was exactly that. The soldiers made themselves seem so innocent, and Tatsumi had put his life on the line to save theirs, when they were simply tricking him.

If the entire Capital was like that, it couldn't be allowed to go on. Tatsumi wouldn't stand for it.

He clenched his hands into fists and remained silent.

"And for your second question, Imperial Arms are weapons that were created by the Old Emperor. He knew that one day he would perish, but he wanted to find a way to always protect his people. In the end, his solution was to gather anyone with talent of building and ordered them to make the most powerful weapons they could. They used materials of Danger Beasts that are now extinct, so the weapons cannot be recreated." Najenda explained quickly for Tatsumi, and some of what she was saying sounded familiar to him. He had heard stories about Imperial Arms, but this was the first time someone was telling him all about them.

"Usually," Najenda continued. "Imperial Arms have different abilities and have the power to slay a thousand men if pushed to its limits. Some are stronger than others, but they all are dangerous and incredibly powerful, which is why everyone in this group wields one."

"Except for _you._ " Mine snorted, not at all impressed with Tatsumi.

"Also, it should be always remembered the special rule about fights between Imperial Arms users." Sheele added, a gentle, reassuring smile on her. Tatsumi felt calm whilst listening to her, she didn't project any aura of toughness from herself.

"What rule?"

"Dude, you don't even know the rule? Man, it's going to be difficult to explain everything to you." Lubbock sighed, nudging Tatsumi's shoulder with his own.

Najenda shook her head and answered Tatsumi's question.

"The rule is that if two people wielding Imperial Arms fight each other with the intent to kill, one of them is guaranteed to die."

"W-What? How does that work? What if someone just decides to walk away in the middle of the fight?"

"It does not matter what happens during the fight, Tatsumi." Bulat stated, his arms folded, with his muscles showing through his clothes. "If the two fighters wish to kill each other, one has to die, even if the fight is incomplete or ends with a tie."

"It's a sort of curse, if you will." Najenda noted, trying to get Tatsumi to understand. After a few moments, Tatsumi nodded his head to show that he had understood what had been told to him.

"So, will I get an Imperial Arm?" Tatsumi asked, looking extremely hopeful.

"Don't get smug," Mine giggled at him rudely, raising an eyebrow. "Not just anyone can wield an Imperial Arm, and we don't exactly have any lying around for you to try."

"What Mine says is true." Najenda concurred. "An Imperial Arms can reject a user if he or she isn't compatible with it. Also, Imperial Arms are rare and we do not have any to offer right now."

"It's our secondary mission to collect any Imperial Arms if we come across them, but it is rarely our primary one." Akame said, staring at Tatsumi. "If it is meant to be, you will have one."

Tatsumi did his very best to hide it, but he was disappointed. He had no clue what the Imperial Arms were capable of, however, being made from the materials of a Danger Beast meant that they must have possessed supernatural powers. He looked back at Najenda for a moment and decided to ask about it.

"What does each Imperial Arms do?"

Najenda smiled again. His curiosity was refreshing.

"You'll find out pretty soon. There's a recon team heading our way as we speak, I need to you eliminate all of them. You'll see what Night Raid is capable of then."

Tatsumi felt uncertain, his first mission as an assassin would be starting now. He didn't feel ready, his heart still wasn't properly sided with the Revolutionary Army, but he said nothing anyway. His heart would have to decide soon enough, and the first mission of his life could be that deciding factor.

"I understand." Tatsumi mumbled.

"Good," Najenda said, turning her head to look at Bulat. "Bulat, you're in charge of looking out for Tatsumi for this mission. You will eliminate the stragglers on the east side of our headquarters."

"You've got it." Bulat chuckled and he placed his heavy hand onto Tatsumi's small shoulder. "Looks like you and me are going to be partners."

"Y-Yeah." Tatsumi whispered back.

"Since this is Tatsumi's first time on the field, kill the intruders yourself, Bulat. Just let Tatsumi watch for now and understand how we operate." Najenda commanded in a firm manner, Bulat nodded and combed up his ridiculous haircut.

"Sure thing."

"Alright then, everything is settled. Sorry to push you like this the moment you've woken up, Tatsumi, but this can be a valuable lesson to you and we don't want to miss this opportunity. Everyone, head out!" She boomed, and the members of Night Raid headed off without another word.

Bulat and Tatsumi began walking towards the exit as well, and Tatsumi could feel his heart about to jump out of his chest. He was about to be in a real fight for the first time.

"Oh, and Tatsumi?" Najenda quickly added before Tatsumi left the room.

"Yes?" Tatsumi responded as he turned around once more to look at his new boss. Najenda stared at him with her purple, piercing eyes and didn't smile.

"Try not to die."

* * *

The rush of a battle felt wonderful for Wave, he hadn't felt it in a while.

His team had moved out into the thickness of a forest, advancing quickly towards the rebel camp nearby. Everyone was running, not wasting any time.

Wave was fast on his feet, but he still had trouble keeping up with his team. They were swift, running past trees and leaping quickly over logs in their way. Wave was ahead of Boros, Doctor Stylish, and Run, but everyone else were faster than him and Wave started panting, he had no idea how they were able to be so quick and nimble.

Esdeath was at the front of the team, running faster than them all without any signs of struggling. She glanced back to look at her subordinates, with her blue hair flowing through the wind, and began to speak.

"You all know what to do. Break into the camp and kill anyone inside."

"What if they surrender?" Wave asked.

"I said kill them all, Wave. That should be clear enough."

Wave gulped down and nodded obediently, not liking Esdeath's annoyed tone at all.

"What is our plan of attack? Stealth or direct assault?" Run questioned, able to keep up with the team's speed.

"Justice should attack without hesitation! We'll go for a direct assault!" Seryu cheered, with Coro racing quickly behind her.

"Well said," Esdeath giggled with delight. "Then we'll do just that."

"I can see the headquarters now, let's do it." Kurome muttered, running while eating down a vanilla biscuit. Wave looked in the same direction that she was and saw tents nearby.

Kurome was right, it was time.

Esdeath came to an immediate halt and pointed at the camp with a large grin on her face.

"Then attack, kill them!" She roared, and the team rushed ahead.

The soldiers in the camp heard Esdeath's voice, spotted them, and opened fire with their rifles.

The team began to spread out and Wave lost sight of his team, but he did not fret, he could take care of something like this with ease.

Wave ran towards the outside of the camp, rolling and sidestepping to dodge any incoming bullets. One of the bullets grazed his left shoulder, but other than that, he was untouched when he entered the camp. Soldiers immediately rushed his way, wearing the uniforms of the Revolutionary Army. Wave glared at them angrily, he would eliminate all the rebels that threatened the land, without fail.

Wave unsheathed his black Imperial Arms from behind his back and held it out in front of him, the sword he held was short and jagged, but Wave saw fear flash in the soldiers' eyes. He leaped forward, slashing away at his enemies.

Some of the soldiers parried, blocking his attacks, but many of them had already fallen after the first two strikes. Wave had been in plenty of fight before, this wasn't any trouble.

One of the soldiers darted forward with a spear, hoping to skewer Wave with it, but Wave stepped to the side and dodged it. He cut off the soldier's right arm first, then beheaded him to end it quickly. The soldiers head dropped to the ground and Wave glanced at it. It still had a shocked, horrified expression on it, and Wave frowned.

He didn't enjoy this violence, but it was necessary for peace.

Fire suddenly burst out in front of Wave, burning all of the soldiers he had left to a crisp. Wave blinked a few times as the flames died out, that sped up things significantly. He turned his head to the source of the fire and saw Boros with his large flamethrower.

Boros was also wearing a huge tank on his back, presumably holding the fuel for his weapon. Boros nodded reassuringly to Wave and stepped closer to him.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a kind tone, Wave nodded slowly at him in response.

"Yeah, you just surprised me. Thanks for taking care of them, there were too many of them for just one person."

"Do not mention it. I have this place covered, I'll kill whatever soldiers are left here with the Rubicante. You go to the other side of the camp."

"Right." Wave muttered as he headed off. He didn't doubt the power of Boros' Imperial Arms, he would be fine by himself.

Wave rushed over to the other side and spotted Kurome and Seryu. They were surrounded and obviously needed backup. Wave arrived at their sides and chuckled.

"Looks like you two could use some help." Wave laughed at them, holding out his sword in front of him.

"I have it under control." Kurome muttered back with a tone of boredom.

Kurome then leaped forward and cut a soldier into two with simply one slice. She watched silently as the body flopped the ground and advanced onto the next target.

Wave knew she wasn't lying, but the sheer amount of enemies kept them at bay and he knew that he had to step in. He attacked a few of the soldiers himself, slashing and hacking with his swords, followed with occasional kicks to the soldiers' guts. He was a good kicker.

While jumping to the left to swiftly dodge a sword about to cut away at his neck, he glanced over to Seryu to see how she was holding up.

Wave's eyes widened.

He had never seen anyone fight in the same way that Seryu was.

Her kind, cheerful, innocent expression was gone and was replaced by the face of a demon. She grinned happily as she watched Coro grow in size and eat down the soldiers that came their way.

The small dog called Coro, which Wave actually considered cute at first, was now the size of a building with muscles pulsating all around it. It growled and ripped people's heads off with single bites, its razor sharp teeth tearing into anything that it could reach. Seryu cackled, entertained by the bloodbath, and she held out her left arm.

"Good work, Coro! Evil will be made to pay here and now! Number Five!" She shrieked, laughing as the remaining soldiers in her path that begun to run away.

Wave kicked down another soldier daring to attack and sliced his neck before looking at Seryu once again. He had no idea why she was holding her arm out like that.

But then he witnessed the reason.

Coro leaped over to her arm and bit it off, ripping off the flesh and muscle on Seryu's arm, and Wave watched in horror as her arm was replaced by a massive, green drill.

Seryu held the large drill towards her enemies and skewered them with it, guts and pieces flying everywhere.

"Spear of Justice!" Seryu laughed as intestines, kidneys, and eyeballs were flung into the air.

Wave didn't know how to react. Seryu wasn't doing this the same way he was.

He was doing it for true justice, but she was simply doing it out of enjoyment.

"Focus, Wave." Kurome said to Wave as she saw him become dazed. "There's still fifty two left of them in the camp."

"What?! That many?!" Wave gasped, looking back at Kurome and her bloody blade. "How do you even _know_ that?"

"I counted."

"W-When…?"

"I ran once around the camp, I'm sure about their numbers."

That confirmed it for Wave, Kurome was the fastest in the team.

Esdeath approached them from behind, she had been watching from the shadows. There was an entertained, delighted grin on her face as she walked up to them. She hadn't unsheathed her silver rapier and hadn't gotten her hands dirty.

"This has been a very nice experiment. Boros' Rubicante and its flames engulfed anything in its wake, Seryu's Coro has an impressive destructive capability, and Run's Imperial Arms took care of any cowards that decided to retreat." Esdeath said. She had been watching the whole thing, inspecting everyone's fighting abilities.

"Wait, where's Doctor Stylish?" Wave asked, remembering that he hadn't spotted the doctor anywhere during the entire battle.

"Him and his minions have already entered the camp and are currently scavenging through whatever is in there." Run answered as he sore through the sky and landed nearby. Behind Run's back were white, majestic wings.

Wave had no clue that wings could be an Imperial Arms, but it still fascinated him.

"Yes," Esdeath muttered, her smile fading. "I've seen everyone use their Imperial Arms, except for _you_."

Esdeath was pointing directly at Wave. He stood frozen for a moment, staring blankly at the General.

She was right, he hadn't used his own Imperial Arms at all. He still hadn't gotten used to using its power, so he had just been fighting normally so far.

Wave stared out to the distance and watched the remaining fifty two soldiers charge towards them. That wasn't too many soldiers and he didn't see what the point of transforming was.

"But, there isn't many of them left, we can defeat the rest pretty quickly."

Esdeath also looked at the crowd of soldiers approaching and shook her head.

"I know, but I want to see just how powerful you are, Wave. Let me see that potential. Let me _feel_ your potential." She commanded him, and Wave gulped down nervously.

Kurome, Esdeath, Seryu, and Run were all staring at him, and he could feel the pressure. They wanted him to kill the rest by himself, by using his Imperial Arms.

He glanced down at his black sword, watching it shine in the sunlight coming from above, and he nodded slowly.

"Alright, I understand."

"Good, then do it." Esdeath stated as she and the other teammates stood back to give him space.

The fifty two soldiers were almost upon them now and Wave was staring directly at them. He would defeat them all for a better tomorrow. He would unleash the power he had within himself.

Wave stabbed his sword into the ground in front of himself, clenching its handle with both of his hands, and watching as it began to glow.

Light began to radiate around him, covering him like a second skin, and large chains coiled around him uncontrollably as a Danger Beast appeared behind him. The blue Danger Beast positioned behind Wave growled and roared a few times as its power began to material the armour that Wave required.

The blue armour wrapped itself around Wave, attaching itself to his flesh, and his eyes began to glow with a bright blue colour as well. He gritted his teeth as the amazing power started to overwhelm him, the armour latched onto Wave's body and he felt the energy pulsate through him.

He opened out his mouth, raised his head to the sky, and roared out with all of his strength.

" _Grand Chariot!"_


	5. No 4: Kill The Old Habits

**Sorry for the wait, I had taken a week off from writing, but now I'm back and ready to get this show on the road! C:**

 **Special thanks to Vegeta SSGSS following and favouring this story. Thanks a bunch, man. Hope you enjoy the rest of this story!**

 **Feedback is always welcome~! C:**

* * *

"Be on your guard, Tatsumi."

Bulat spoke wisely as he dashed along Tatsumi, the two of them rushing through trees and bushes. The thickness of the forest was slowing Tatsumi down, but Bulat was running like the wind.

Tatsumi had been in multiple fights before, but never in a fight where he could actually die, so fear had already set in on him, but he kept following Bulat.

Then the thought hit Tatsumi, he could probably run away at this very moment, and he might be able to outrun Bulat or hide himself in the deep forest, but he eventually decided against it. Bulat was a trained assassin so running away from him wouldn't be the smartest idea.

And the second reason Tatsumi didn't try to run was that he wanted to make the Capital pay for what they have done to the people. He wasn't sure if his heart had sided on the Revolutionary Army's side yet, but he knew that he wished to fight for them.

Immediately after his thoughts had ended, men and woman with dark skin and white rags leapt out of hiding and rushed towards Tatsumi and Bulat at once. Tatsumi quickly unsheathed his sword and got into a battle stance.

But Bulat beat Tatsumi to it. He grabbed a silver sword from behind his back and stabbed it into the ground, holding the sword with both of his hands.

"Incursio!" Bulat screams out as white energy starts to surge around him. Tatsumi's eyes widen and he steps back, watching in awe.

A ring of fire flows around Bulat and a massive suit of armour stands behind him, holding its arms out. In an instant, Bulat is covered with the incredible power and becomes protected by large silver armour, with a helmet and glowing yellow eyes. Tatsumi stared at the suit of armour, amazed. He had never seen anything like this before.

The gleaming, sparkling, white suit of armour glimmers in the sunlight and the invaders look intimidated, taking a few steps away from Bulat. Bulat didn't flinch and rushed towards them, summoning a red spear into his right hand and slashing the men and woman into bloody chucks in an instant, and Tatsumi failed to see it properly. All that Tatsumi knew for certain is that all of their enemies were dead, and there was barely anything left of them.

"Y-You're incredible, Bulat!" Tatsumi blurted out without realizing it, being completely astounded by the Imperial Arms' strength.

Bulat, covered in the white armour, turned around and looked at Tatsumi with the armour's glowing, yellow eyes.

"It's not me that's incredible, it's this armour. It increases both my speed and strength. Also, Tatsumi, call me Big Bro from now on, okay?" He chuckled back, his soft voice not matching his murderous actions in the slightest.

"Big…Bro…?" Tatsumi repeated back hesitantly, and Bulat nodded happily.

"Yes, or you can call me Handsome, it's your choice."

"I'll go with Big Bro then…" Tatsumi muttered back with a small smile on his face.

"Heh, sounds good when you say it." Bulat noted. He turned his head the other way and tightened his grip on his spear again. "Looks like more of them are coming this way."

Tatsumi knew that Bulat and the Incursio armour could handle the next group of invaders with ease, but Tatsumi didn't want to be a simple observer of the fight, he wanted to be a part of it. He wasn't about to stand back and watch someone else do all the heavy lifting.

"Don't worry, Big Bro, I'll take care of these guys!" Tatsumi spoke as he stood confidently in front of Bulat, holding his iron sword out in front of him.

Bulat hesitated for a moment, instinctively feeling as though he should've stopped Tatsumi, but he didn't do anything. He understood that Tatsumi needed to learn how to fight too, so he folded his arms and watched how Tatsumi would fare.

Tatsumi leapt forward, slashing away at the invaders with his sword. He attacked the first one, a male, by cutting through his stomach, and killed the female one by slicing clean through her neck. Both of the invaders fell down immediately like ragdolls and blood dripped from Tatsumi's sword. He looked calm for a moment, but starting fighting again as more of the invaders darted towards him.

Bulat whistled and crossed his arms, secretly smiling behind his armour's helmet, and he chuckled. Tatsumi wasn't a child that only watched the battle, he could definitely fight.

Across on the other side of the battlefield, Mine was knelt down on the ground, on top of a hill.

She attached the Sniper attachment of her Imperial Arms, the Pumpkin, and stared through the lenses with her right eye. The lenses gave her much better sight and she could spot all of the enemies below.

She grinned as she placed her finger on the trigger. It would be difficult for her to fire from such a distance, but a challenge was always entertaining for her.

Mine took in a deep breath, held a tight grip on her Imperial Arms, and fired it.

A yellow beam of spiritual energy immediately poured out of it and rocketed towards the invaders below. The first shot pierced directly through the brain of a man scouting the west side of the area, and the man's followers jump backwards worriedly as their leader went down. Mine could see perfectly through the lenses, they were worried and were frantically searching around for where the shot had come from.

Mine giggled, they wouldn't be able to see her all the way up here. She took another deep breath and fired again, and this time the shot went through one man's chest and through a woman's forehead. Mine smiled.

"Two birds with one stone." She whispered to herself.

While Mine was offering support fire from above, Sheele and Akame were fighting down below.

Sheele brushed her purple hair out of her eyes and watched as more yellow beams fired through the air.

"Looks like Mine's giving us a hand." She stated, smiling calmly.

Akame looked in the same direction that Sheele was and nodded slowly.

"Yes, but there are more approaching. Let's eliminate them."

Akame then moved swiftly through the forest, using the darkness of the shadows as her cover, and reached the last four men of the recon group.

She stepped out of the shadows and glared at the men with her piercing, red eyes, ready to cut them all down. Sheele approached the group as well, holding a massive pair of scissors in her hands.

The men didn't have much, only ordinary swords, but they were not intimidated by the two women and rushed forward to kill them both. Sheele went first, tightening her grip of Extase's handles.

She dashes forward and snaps her scissors shut, cutting the first man in half in a matter of seconds. The large pair of scissors slices through the man as though he was a sheet of paper, and his guts showered over the remaining three. They watched in horror and cried out, and Sheele calmly wipes away the blood and intestines that had gotten onto Extase.

Then she claimed her second victim.

This time, she didn't open up her scissors, but instead used it to stab into the man's chest, tearing his heart out in the process. The beating heart slides out of the man's body and he collapses to the ground, his eyes still widened.

Once the second man had fallen, Sheele readjusted her glasses and wiped the blood off of Extase again.

Akame decided she would kill the remaining two

Neither Sheele nor the two men left could see her movements. She moved so fast that everyone lost vision of her, and when she could finally be seen again, both men had large cuts on their chests. The first men fell down and coughed out blood before going limp, but the second man survived the cut and had already raised his sword at Akame.

"This cut…is nothing! Now die!" He shrieked as he prepared to strike Akame.

But his body froze and he remained still. His eyes widened and he gasped weakly as he couldn't move an inch. Tattoos seeped across his body and poured out of his wound. It covered him completely and he felt his heart ache and stop beating. He yelped and wheezed before dropping to his knees.

"W-What?" He gasped as he clenched his chest.

Akame turned around and stared at the man that was now covered in tattoos. He glared back at her as though demanding an explanation, and Akame turned away again.

"All I need is one cut." She whispered to him, and he finally closed his eyes and went still.

Akame and Sheele stood above the pile of bodies and stared at them. The mission had been completed without trouble. They began moving away slowly, sheathing their weapons behind their backs. Blood dripped from their Imperial Arms and their clothes were soaked in the crimson liquid, this was what they did every day.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, one last dark-skinned man rushed behind Akame and Sheele, holding out a sharp dagger to stab them with. They had left one more alive.

But the last man wasn't able to land a hit.

Leone appeared out of one of the bushes and punched the man before he could attack, and he flew across the battlefield. The blonde-haired woman giggled as both Akame and Sheele turned around and noticed what happened. Leone cracked her knuckles and played with one of her animal ears.

"Oh dear me, do I always have to watch you two? That man would have definitely stabbed you right there."

Akame glanced blankly at Leone and pointed down to her waist. Leone looked down at Akame's waist and saw that Akame's sword had already been unsheathed and was already prepared to cut down that last enemy.

"He didn't do a good job of hiding his presence." Akame muttered with a shadow of a smile on her face, and Leone laughed wholeheartedly, she knew now that Akame had the situation under control.

Lubbock also came out of hiding, whistling happily to his comrades.

"You really did a number on these guys, huh? I didn't even get to fight anyone."

"Consider yourself lucky," Mine muttered as she approached them. She had put the Pumpkin away and she had a satisfied smile on her face. "These guys were actually pretty strong."

Bulat and Tatsumi emerged from the thickness of the forest, looking bruised but proud. Bulat had gotten out of his armour now and was fixing his messy hair up with a hairbrush.

"The Capital is slowly beginning to realize that the Revolutionary Army is a force to be reckoned with, that's why the recon teams coming this way are getting more and more difficult."

"We're still not facing other Imperial Arms users though, which is a relief." Lubbock chuckled, readjusting the red goggles on his head.

"Is that because of the Imperials Arms' rule? That there can only be one survivor of a duel between Imperial Arms users?" Tatsumi asked, looking the most beat up out of all of them.

Akame nodded and answered before anyone else could.

"Yes. Every Imperial Arms have special traits and abilities, just like our own. Hopefully, we'll never have to initiate one of those duels."

"Though," Sheele interrupted, carefully smudging whatever blood was left on Extase with a tissue. "With our next plan of attack, a fight between another Imperial Arms user seems inevitable."

Tatsumi looked surprised and felt his heart drop a little. He didn't want to fight another Imperial Arms user, especially not after seeing what Night Raid's Imperial Arms could do. He frowned and questioned the statement.

"Why's that?"

"Because our next plan is to attack the Capital itself, hurting our enemies from within. The stakes are going to raise, without question, but we've been preparing for this." Leone answered with a small grin on her face.

"I haven't!" Tatsumi protested.

"Do not fret. I have gotten orders from Najenda that I shall be training you, since I am the one that vouched for you. I will make sure you are ready for the battles ahead." Akame stated to Tatsumi, but Tatsumi wasn't filled with hope.

It was difficult to except the words of someone who didn't show any emotion towards him. Her expression was always blank and she constantly spoke in a monotone voice to him. He wondered if she had decided to be cold towards him or if this was simply how she was.

Bulat slapped Tatsumi on the back and chuckled.

"If you've got Akame training you, you'll be absolutely fine. Trust me, you couldn't be in better hands."

Tatsumi finally grinned. He was gradually becoming a part of the group of assassins. He wouldn't usually be happy about something like this, but they all seemed similar to him.

Some of them were older than him, but he could relate to them in some ways, and he slowly found himself becoming fond of them.

"You'll still fail without an Imperial Arms though, so don't get your hopes up." Mine sniggered at Tatsumi while he was thinking, flipping her pink hair the other way and snorting.

And just like that, Tatsumi's smile was gone again.

* * *

Wave was filled with adrenaline and he felt as though energy was just surging out of him.

With the Grand Chariot armour, he flew across the battlefield with the armour's ability to flew, and rocketed down towards the last group of enemies.

"Grand Fall!" He yelled as he held his left leg out and smashed into the earth with great force, causing a shockwave to erupt around him.

The shockwave threw many men and women onto the ground, but a few of them remaining on their feet. They darted towards Wave, but with the Grand Chariot armour, they didn't stand a chance.

Wave punched the first attacker, sending him flying, and kicked the second attacker, breaking his ribcage. They both collapsed and didn't get up, and Wave descended on the rest of them. He attacked like a force of nature, moving around swiftly and taking out each enemy with one strike.

For a while, Wave couldn't believe it himself. He hadn't put on the armour that many times and had still to learn what its limits were, but he was amazed of how easy the battle had become for him. He no longer had to put any effort into it, a simple punch would suffice for even the strongest of his opponents. He took them out without batting an eye, grabbing one man and smashing his skull against another, or stomping his foot down and watching as a miniature earthquake materializing beneath him.

With his Imperial Arms activated, he felt invincible. None of their swords or spears could pierce through his armour, and he barely put any strength into his attacks, but he was winning nonetheless. He chuckled, he was delivering swift justice amongst the rebels.

Just three men remained. He took the first one by the head and tossed him against a wall, watching him splat against it, and the second one charged at him with pure rage in his eyes. Wave observed as he approached, and then held a tight grip on the man's neck and smashed him against the ground over and over again until he went limp. There was just one man left now, and Wave grinned, it was time for justice to be served.

He grabbed the last rebel's shirt and threw him across the ground before stomping on his chest repeatedly until the rebel no longer moved. The last rebel didn't give up easily, and eventually got to his feet again, but one more punch from Wave was all that was needed to get him onto his knees again.

The man wheezed and coughed before Wave, glaring at him with hatred.

And, to Wave's surprise, the rebel took his brown helmet off and revealed his face. It was a young man, around Wave's age, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like he was in serious pain, but he tried his best not to show it.

"You…won't…get away…with this! The injustice of the Capital…will be stopped…and the people will be saved!" He cried out even though it hurt to speak, and Wave's hands began to tremble.

He didn't believe the rebel's words, but he recognized the fire in the man's eyes, it was the same as his own. These people truly believed that they were doing the right thing, and that _they_ were the ones fighting for justice. Wave's faith didn't waver, he was the one that was fighting for justice, but he no longer had the desire to kill the last rebel.

Wave took a deep breath and allowed the Grand Chariot's armour to disappear, dematerializing off of his body. He looked at the man in the eyes and placed his hands on his hips.

"You fought valiantly, but we are the victors of this battle. It is time to surrender." He said in a deep voice, waiting for the blonde man to raise his arms in surrender.

But before the man had the chance to do that, Esdeath walked beside Wave and stomped her foot onto the blonde man, snapping his neck with her high-heel. The sound of the neck snapping was horrifying and Wave turned to Esdeath with widened eyes.

"Wha-?!" He began to question, staring at the blonde man that had now gone limp and lifeless.

"He was a rebel, Wave. He was someone that slaughtered soldiers of our army, someone that wanted to see the Capital burn down to the ground, someone that defied the Emperor. People like him don't deserve to live and don't deserve mercy from us."

"But he wasn't fighting anymore." Wave protested, trying his best to keep calm in front of the blue-haired general.

"It does not matter. He was a threat."

Esdeath then flipped her blue hair and walked away, back to the regrouped team, and Wave understood that the conversation was over. There wasn't any way he could make her change her mind. He was also taught in the Navy not to spare any of his enemies, but he never had the heart to kill someone unless he absolutely had to. He never enjoyed the sensation of murder.

The others, however, seemed to enjoy it than anything else.

As he joined the team again. Almost everyone was covered in blood except for him. They had killed everyone in their way, and they were satisfied with their work.

Wave stared down at his black sword, his Imperial Arms, and sighed. It was going to take a while before he could adjust to his team's way of attacking. He heaved another sigh, a heavier one this time, and listened in to wait Esdeath had to tell all of them.

"Firstly, very well done to all of you. You took down this rebel camp much faster than I had expected. This is my first time commanding a group of Imperial Arms users, but I'm seeing now just how much potential we have." She said with a grin, sounding just as pleased as her words painted her being.

"You flatter us, General." Run responded for the team, taking a polite bow for her.

Esdeath nodded back and continued.

"Secondly, I'd like to address your performances as individuals. Kurome, you excelled in everything I was looked for. Run, your precise targeting with your Imperial Arms was very impressive and I'm certain it shall help us again in the future. Boros, your firepower left nothing behind, nicely done."

Then Esdeath pauses for a moment and looks at the people left that she hadn't addressed. She eventually continues.

"Doctor Stylish, your 'creatures' helped us secure the camp, but they were out of control at times. You need to improve on that. Seryu, it's very clear that you are a capable fighter, but you take no precautions for your safety. That needs to change."

Seryu immediately put on a bright smile and saluted to Esdeath.

"Understood!" She cheered happily, looking innocent once again.

But Wave knew better than to fall for that act, he had just seen Seryu in battle, and he couldn't find himself being comfortable around her. The way she fought and tore apart all of the enemies in her way was monstrous, and Wave was sure that the girl had a screw loose.

Esdeath's grin slowly faded and she turned to the final teammate she had to address, Wave. She looked at him silently for a while, and Wave had no idea what was going on in her head. Was she proud of him? Or was she utterly disappointed in both him and his Imperial Arms?

Eventually, after a long moment of silence, Esdeath spoke again.

"Wave, you hold a lot of potential as a fighter for the Capital. You have a powerful Imperial Arms by your side, and you have been trained in the art of combat. However, I must say that you lack one crucial thing, and that missing component will ultimately become your downfall if you are not careful."

"W-What am I missing?" Wave asked quickly, wanting to know what exactly he had missed even though he gave it his all.

Esdeath shook her head and lowered it, her hat covering her eyes in a dark, ominous shade.

"You do not possess the heart of a killer. Even though you know that we are the ones that fight for the innocent, you did not kill a single man or woman in this camp. You need to learn at one point or another that this is your weakness, and when that time comes, I'm sure you'll make the right choice."

And that is how the cold General left it. She sheathed his rapier by her hip and headed back into the forest, with the rest of the team following closely behind her.

Wave's shoulders dropped and he frowned. He needed to change. He was sure of that now.

But changing wasn't going to be easy.

Kurome walked calmly by Wave's side, munching down on a biscuit, and she turned her head to look at him.

"You'll adapt soon enough. Fight alongside a certain group of people, and no matter how they are like, you'll find yourself becoming one of them. The rest of us don't hesitate, and soon, you won't either."

"I don't kill if I don't have to." Wave retorted back, brushing his hand through his black hair.

"You will. The Capital's orders cannot be disobeyed, after all."

Run walked at the front of the group, beside General Esdeath, and he spoke to her calmly.

"Surely this isn't what our group was made for?"

"What do you mean?" Esdeath muttered back, her arms folded.

"What I mean is that this task was far too easy for us. Certainly this group wasn't formed for just ordinary camp raids, was it? What are we actually together for?"

Seryu and Doctor Stylish nodded in concurrence and awaited Esdeath's response.

Esdeath stopped walking, and by following suit, everyone else did as well. She turned herself around to look at the team behind her and smiled. She took her hat off of her head and held it by her side.

She stared into each individual's eyes before giving them their answer.

"Have you heard of the assassination group 'Night Raid'?"


	6. No 5: Kill The Stealth

**Hello, hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

 **Special thanks to Rendfire and SupremeCommanderSimon609 for following/favouring this story! You rock man! C:**

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* * *

After completing his first mission, Tatsumi was feeling rather excited.

He had succeeded without any trouble, and even defeated a few men by himself, which was not expected. Since Najenda had specifically said to not fight anyone, Tatsumi thought she would be upset, but when he told her what happened she simply gave him a smile and congratulated him.

Bulat had also told Tatsumi that he had done pretty well, but reminded Tatsumi that his success should not be allowed to go to his head.

Now, just like he had been told earlier, he was sparring with Akame, the silent girl that always gave him an unsettling feeling.

They were outside in the courtyard, holding bamboo swords. Akame was wearing the same clothes she was always wearing and Tatsumi had a white shirt on with black jeans. It was early in the morning, but Tatsumi was pumped up and ready to fight. He gripped the handle of his bamboo sword and took in a deep breath, he knew that he couldn't keep up with Akame's ridiculous speed, but perhaps he could still find a way to hold his own against her.

"Are you ready?" Akame asked.

"Yeah, let's go."

As soon as Tatsumi gave Akame the words of confirmation, she lunged forward and started moving, and Tatsumi expectedly lost sight of her.

The wind swayed around and Tatsumi could feel the cutting, sharp sensation of a strike before he had even raised his bamboo sword. He showed no signs of pain to his opponent and stared out in every direction, certain that he could at least spot Akame for a moment. Another stinging sensation buzzes through his right arm, he had been hit by Akame again, and he didn't even notice it. He growled, how could someone move so damn fast?

He couldn't even catch a glimpse of her and he began quickly stumbling backwards awkwardly, grimacing as he is struck again and again by someone moving too fast to even see. He coughed and realized that he needed another strategy, trying to see Akame while she's moving at high speeds is not working.

Instead, Tatsumi remains completely still and waits until the next strike from Akame comes. Even if it's just for a second, Akame must slow down for a moment before hitting Tatsumi with her bamboo sword, and that's exactly when he'll strike.

The wind crackled next to him and he noticed the breeze shooting towards him, it must be Akame. He waited until the very last moment, and even though he couldn't even see Akame, and swung his sword in front of him, hoping that he had hit Akame. The sword swung forward and returned back to him and a long pause of silence followed, had he hit her?

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head as a bamboo sword smacked itself against it. Akame had just hit him again.

Evidently, he hadn't even gotten close to hitting her.

Akame appeared immediately in front of him, still retaining her blank expression, and drops her practice sword. She nodded with satisfaction.

"You have done well, we will practice again tomorrow."

Tatsumi couldn't help it, the words blurted out of his mouth.

"What do you mean 'I did well'? I didn't even land a single blow on you!"

The door to outside of the courtyard opened up and Mine stepped outside, listening in to what the two of them were saying. She shook her head smugly at Tatsumi, a grin present on her face.

"You idiot, no one in this team can keep up with Akame, you're not the only one. The fact that you're not on the ground right now after a couple of her blows is a good thing by itself."

"Wow, you really know how to encourage people, don't you?" Tatsumi hissed back at Mine, a dark aura surrounding the both of them.

"I try my best." She shrugged, her pigtails swaying from side-to-side. "Anyway, we've got an assignment, so get your stuff and let's go."

"What? An assignment? What is it?"

"We're heading into the Capital. It's just a simple recon mission, we'll just check out what's going on in there and report back anything interesting we find out."

"That sounds easy,"

"That's because it is, now get ready."

Tatsumi nodded and placed the bamboo sword back where he found it. He walked past Akame and went inside to get changed.

He didn't know how he felt about Akame, she wasn't easy to get along with, since she hadn't shown him either kindness nor coldness yet. It was unclear how she felt about him too, though Tatsumi knew that it was Akame that told Najenda that he should be part of Night Raid. He wanted to thank her at one point, but it was incredibly difficult to do so when she was so impossible to approach.

He got changed and grabbed an iron sword and then headed towards the Capital with Mine. He wasn't exactly looking forward to going somewhere with someone that seemed to despise his very existence, but at the same time, he wanted to see what the Capital was like.

When he entered the gates of the Capital, it was quite impressive. There was business and life springing around at every corner, and the people in the Capital were unlike the ones from Tatsumi's village. The villagers were dirty and had ragged clothes, but the people in the Capital were mostly dressed formally and they didn't have any dirt present on them. He didn't expect anything less from the centre of the Capital, but it was incredible to him nonetheless. At first, he found it difficult to even imagine that someplace like this could be running with crime and have innocent people being tortured, the Capital seemed completely normal.

But he soon started to see something, it was something that took him a while to open his eyes to, but it began to form into a pattern.

For every smiling, casual face he saw around two men or women with dark circles around their eyes and tired expressions. Some people were looking from side-to-side frantically, as though something was going to pounce at them and attack at any moment, they were paranoid. Tatsumi's impressed and astonished expression slowly began to change as he started seeing past the façade of the Capital, the false front that he had been tricked by when he first came here. The Capital wasn't normal at all, it was the farthest thing from normal. The people here truly were suffering and being slaughtered like animals, just like the ones he had seen himself. How could something as horrific as this be allowed to continue?

"So, you've started to notice it, huh?" Mine said to Tatsumi, walking slowly by his side. Tatsumi nodded hesitantly back.

"I had no idea things were like this."

"Yeah. It's kind of funny, isn't it?"

"How so?"

"The people who run the Capital are sadistic and cruel people, yet they paint _us_ as the criminals and the ones that threaten their way of life."

"Night Raid is considered a group of criminals?"

"An assassination squad that kills indiscriminately, to be precise."

"Do people believe that?"

Mine remained silent for a moment but eventually just shrugged her shoulders.

"Some people do. Some people don't. The ones that do fear us and will be sure to report anything suspicious to the Capital's guards, and the ones that don't believe that we're criminals don't say anything about it."

"Why is that?"

"Because they know what's good for them. The Capital doesn't tolerate anyone that does not see them as the upholders of justice."

"This isn't right."

"You're damn right it isn't." Mine muttered back. She folded her arms and spotted a small café with chairs, she pointed at it. "We can sit there."

When both Tatsumi and Mine had gotten comfortable in their seats, they began gazing around, watching the sights. This was just a track and report mission, meaning that they'd just stay most of the day in the Capital then return back to Night Raid's base to report anything useful. So far, Tatsumi doubted that they had found anything worth telling the rest of the team, but he kept looking.

While Tatsumi was looking around carefully, Mine brushed a strand of pink hair out of her eyes and ordered a coffee. She stared for the longest time at him, as though judged him in his entirety. Tatsumi could feel the stare but he didn't say anything about it, it was preferable to the way that Akame would stare.

Being reminded of Akame, Tatsumi spoke up as Mine took a sip of her black coffee.

"By the way, what's with that Akame person in the group? Is she mad at me?"

Mine seemed surprised by the question, not understanding the meaning behind it.

"What do you mean? Why do you think she's mad at you?"

"She stares at me with an emotionless expression and doesn't say much, it bothers me."

Mine took another sip of her coffee before setting it down on the table. She leaned back in her seat and sighed, shaking her head. She glared at Tatsumi with serious eyes and answered him.

"Look, Akame has had a rougher past than the rest of us. It's hard to connect to her, and the first time we formed the group she wouldn't speak to us at all, but deep down she's just as normal as the rest of us. It just takes time for her to open up."

Tatsumi opened his mouth to ask more, but the ringing of bells echoed in his ears and immediately caught his attention. He stared at Mine with a raised eyebrow to see if she knew what was going on, but she looked back at him with the same confused expression. Mine got out of her chair and walked to the sound of the bells, with Tatsumi following slowly behind. The bells got louder and louder, ringing throughout the entire district, and people started moving the same way Mine and Tatsumi were.

"Oh, it's one of those again." Mine whispered to Tatsumi casually as they approached the sight that had been displayed in the middle of the street.

Tatsumi stared in horror at the terrifying sight.

There were ten crosses, large ones, spread across the street with people nailed to them with their hands and feet. They weren't dead either. They screamed and shrieked out with agony, crimson-coloured blood dripped down their battered bodies. The people nailed to the crosses were practically corpses already, but were spending their last moments in absolute pain, and everyone else could watch at their leisure. One of the bleeding people was a boy, young and around Tatsumi's age, and Tatsumi watched with widened eyes as the young boy wheezed and begged for mercy before finally going limp. There was a sudden stinging sensation in Tatsumi's throat and he felt tears gather up around the edges of his eyes.

No one would even treat animals like this.

He felt a tug on his right sleeve and saw Mine pulling it. She silently signalled for him to follow her, and they slowly made their way through the crowd and left the crosses. The entire time that Tatsumi was walking away the images of those people nailed to the crosses were burned into his mind, refusing to leave anytime soon. He used to think that ordinary executions were terrible, but these were even more monstrous.

Gradually, Mine and Tatsumi reached the end of the crowd and left the area. Mine looked normal and unshaken, but Tatsumi was stumbling around while looking dazed. Eventually, Mine sighed and gave him a light tap on the shoulder.

"Sorry you had to see that, those executions happen a lot around here."

"T-They…" Tatsumi tried to speak but the words left him and he stuttered, there were no kinds of words that could be used to describe how horrific that was.

"I was a bit like you when I saw that for the first time. It's not easy to take in."

Once Tatsumi had calmed down, they took another stroll down an alleyway. There was damp puddles beneath them and small rats scurried aside in fear as they moved forward.

Tatsumi understood just what kind of place the Capital was, and how they would lure people from across the land just to exploit and torture them. He could have been one of those people, he had thought that the Capital was the greatest place to be, but he was grateful now that he hadn't stuck his head into the lion's mouth.

"How do things like this even happen? There has to be someone that knows that this is wrong." Tatsumi said.

"A lot of people don't agree with what's going on, but at the moment no one can do anything, because this is all happening under the Emperor's command."

"A sadistic leader, I'm guessing."

"Wrong, actually. The Emperor is only a child right now, younger than the two of us. But the thing is, the Minister is manipulating the Emperor and making him do this. He's just a boy, he doesn't understand right from wrong."

"So, the Minister is the one truly behind this?"

"Yeah, and his death will benefit everyone." Mine answered as they exited the dark alleyway and entered another street with people in it. They wandered over to a bakery and Mine stopped in place. "Unfortunately, the Minister knows about us and wants all of us dead."

Mine was now pointing at something plastered to one of the walls of the bakery. Tatsumi looked at it and saw pieces of paper hung up, with drawings of people's faces. One looked like Akame, without a doubt, and the others seemed to be a bad drawing of Leone and a scribble of Sheele. There were bold writings on each paper with the facial depictions. _Dead or Alive._

"Night Raid have wanted posters…" Tatsumi mumbled quietly, suddenly turning around now and then to make sure no one was looking at them with suspicious looks. "But, wait, why are we here in the Capital if we're wanted?"

Mine made sure to lower her voice before responding.

"Because you and I don't have wanted posters yet. You've only just joined Night Raid, and I've been careful not to show my face to anyone unless I'm ready to kill them."

"That's why you and I got this mission." Tatsumi said, nodding his head understandingly. "We're the only ones that won't arouse suspicion."

Mine faced Tatsumi and folded her arms, making a disgusted expression and sighing.

"Well, Najenda also said this was a good chance for us two to get along."

"That's alright by me-"

"But don't even think about it, rookie. I'm not about to become friends with a weakling like you."

Then Mine moved on from the posters and Tatsumi gritted his teeth, somehow this girl was able to strike every nerve that he possessed.

They passed through more streets, eyeing anything of interest, but eventually they both decided that there was nothing important to report back to Najenda. Except for the execution, things were quite quiet around the roads and streets, so they decided that heading back to the base was the wisest course of action.

"We have to make things right." Tatsumi growled, the images of the people hung to nails still haunting him. "It can't go on like this."

"Things will change, trust me. We're breaking down the Capital piece by piece, it's just a matter of time before the Revolutionary Army attacks."

"I was wondering…what will happen to the Emperor if we win? Will we kill him?"

"No, there's no real need for his death, but we will still have to do so if he puts up a fight. Our only real target is the Minister. He cannot be allowed to survive. He's both resourceful even when he doesn't have power, and he needs to pay for all of the lives he's taken."

"I'd like to be the one to kill him." Tatsumi admitted sheepishly, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"You'll have to get in line." Mine giggled back, a smirk appearing on her face.

They headed for the gates that they had come through, side-by side. Tatsumi had found his first visit to the Capital interesting, but he didn't have plans to come back here anytime soon. Things had to change first. The Minister had to be put down.

The two of them reached the gates and stared at the crowd passing through. There were waves of people clashing together, as though desperately trying to get through. Tatsumi first assumed it was busy during this time of the day and people were trying to travel through one area all at the same time. He folded his arms and waited for the crowd of people to subside, and it eventually did.

But when the crowd spread outwards and revealed what was at the front of the crowd, Tatsumi realized that people weren't trying to leave through the gates, but were instead circling happily around someone.

Tatsumi took a few steps forward, trying to see who everyone was circling around, but the crowds of people were still too thick. When he finally pushed through the crowd and reached the person, his eyes widened and Mine quickly grabbed him by his sleeve again.

"We need to go, _now._ " She whispered to him, pulling him away.

But Tatsumi was fascinated about who he had just seen.

In the front of the crowd, people were circling around a tall woman with blue hair and blue eyes. She had a kind smile on, politely bowing her head as people clasped their hands in hers. Whoever the person was, Tatsumi knew that the people of the Capital were big fans of her. He had no idea who she was, but something in his gut told him he would know soon enough.

He stared at the blue-haired woman one last time before falling back into the thickness of the crowd, with Mine pulling him carefully away.

* * *

The silence of the palace was something that Wave couldn't help but admire.

Peace and quiet, it has all he could ever ask for.

He wandered over to the table beside his bed, staring at the cup of tea he had made for himself. It had been ten minutes since then and the tea had gone cold, he didn't want to drink it.

There were a lot of thoughts going through his mind and he couldn't find relaxation, even in his own bedroom.

Ever since joining the team of fighters, that General Esdeath had assembled, he could feel the pressure slowly sinking in. The people of the Capital were depending on him, he had to protect them no matter what.

He left the cup of tea and left the bedroom, wearing his normal attire before opening the door. He moved silently through the corridors and entered the room where the rest of the team were supposed to be gathered. There was a long table in the middle of the room, but only Boros and Kurome were sitting down there. He sighed. The others must've had better things to do than to talk with their teammates.

Wave sat down at the table and smiled to his two teammates.

"Good morning," He said, watching Kurome as she ate another bag of treats that she somehow got a hold of.

"Hey." Kurome answered back simply, not bothering to look at him.

"Hello, Wave. Did you sleep well?" Boros asked kindly, sounding a lot more enthusiastic than Kurome had.

"Yeah, I slept without any problems." Wave lied, he had stayed up all night thinking about different things. He scratched the back of his head. "How about you, Boros?"

"Well, I woke up early to make everyone breakfast. There are in the kitchen right now, it should only take a few more minutes until they are ready."

"Breakfast? I didn't know you were good in the kitchen." Wave smiled, his stomach making a faint growl to remind him that a breakfast would be great right now.

"Oh, I enjoy working in the kitchen, I cannot let my wife do all the work, can I?"

Wave nearly fell out of his chair when he heard that. He leant back but grabbed the edge of the table and pulled himself back up, his eyes widened as he looked at Boros again.

"You're…married…?"

"Yes, I'm a very lucky man." Boros giggled like a girl, probably smiling behind his gas mask. "In fact, she might be visiting later on today."

"I see…" Wave muttered, hoping that he hadn't seemed rude by acting so surprised, but that piece of information truly did come out of nowhere.

He couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of person would be Boros' wife, but an image of a skinny woman with a pink gas mask came to mind for Wave. He imagined someone with a cuter gas mask, holding a baby with its own little gas mask.

Wave stopped his train of thought for a moment and sighed quietly to himself, his mind would go to weird places sometimes, and this was one of those occasions. He shook the imaginary images away and tried to think of something else.

"So, what have you made for breakfast?"

"Nothing special, just some pancakes."

Wave could feel himself licking his lips, pancakes for breakfast would be absolutely wonderful.

It took around six minutes, but eventually he brought some fresh pancakes on plates to Wave and Kurome, and it was covered in maple syrup.

It both looked good, and once Wave had taken a bite of it, he knew it tasted just as good as well. It had a soft, spongy taste that was complimented exquisitely with the sweet flavour of maple syrup. The pancakes were warm and felt like it was melting in his mouth, he hadn't tasted such a good pancake before. He glanced at Boros and gave a satisfied grin as he finished the last of his breakfast.

"This was wonderful, Boros! Thanks."

"Not a problem." Boros said as he walked back into the kitchen to clean things up.

Wave then looked at Kurome, sitting opposite him. She hadn't touched her pancake as she was solely focused on her own treats. He decided to start up a conversation, since they hadn't talked that much except for their past mission.

"Hey, do you not like pancakes?" Wave asked her, simply trying to start up a bit of a chit-chat.

But when Kurome looked away from her snacks and stared at Wave, she gave him an expression that was unreadable to him. It could have been expressing any emotions, anger, irritation, sadness, boredom. Wave couldn't tell.

Eventually, Kurome put down her bag of snacks and answered him, but she didn't say anything that Wave was expecting.

"You're nervous." She stated, her head tilted slightly to the side.

"What makes you say that?"

"Look at yourself. Your fingers are shaking and I can tell from the dark circles under your eyes that you haven't slept for a while. You're afraid."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Wave scoffed back, folding his arms.

"If I had to guess, I'd say you're afraid of Night Raid."

Wave paused and hesitated. _Damn,_ that's what Wave thought when Kurome had said that.

She had gotten a bullseye with that guess. Right after they had taken down the rebel camp, Esdeath had informed them about what their real target is, the group called Night Raid. At first, he had no idea what the team was and how it could deem itself a threat to the Capital, but Esdeath had explained it to him. Night Raid was a small group of Imperial Arms users, trained to kill anyone without hesitation or second thoughts. An assassination group working for the Revolutionary Army, meaning that they're threats to the innocent people that Wave had been trying to protect.

Now, if this had been any other kind of assassination group, Wave wouldn't be experiencing the fear he was. The problem was that, according to their intel, each member of Night Raid possessed an Imperial Arms. That made every single one of them dangerous, and Wave was afraid that his strength and the Grand Chariot would not be enough. He had to be honest with himself, he didn't know if he would survive against such opponents.

"Yeah, you got me." Wave finally admitted, rubbing his tired eyelids. "I've been on edge, thinking about how we'll have to fight people as strong as them."

"Don't worry. We have Imperial Arms too, did you forget? We will be the victors." Kurome said back to him, giving him a reassuring smile that Wave was not expecting.

Boros had already returned to the table and had heard what Kurome and Wave were talking about. He sat down and nodded his head slowly.

"We're all here because we have something or someone to protect. As long as we remain a team and trust each other, we'll be fine." He chuckled.

"You're right, I'm just worried."

"I don't see why, since you've got such a powerful Imperial Arms!" Boros laughed happily, giving him a friendly pat on the back.

Wave lowered his head and nodded back. He was aware of just how strong the Grand Chariot was, and he still felt honoured that such an Imperial Arms had chosen him out of all people. Still, the uncertainty of his victory was present. He didn't want to lose to people as evil as the assassins of Night Raid, and he was also afraid of what might've happened to his comrades. He had already gotten quite attached to Kurome and Boros, they were both kind even if they didn't seem that way on first glance, and the rest of the team were interesting to say the least.

The only person he wasn't worried about was Seryu, he still didn't like her. There were a couple of screws loose for that girl, Wave was certain of it, and he knew that her kind and bright attitude were just facades to hide something far more sinister from within.

"Say, Boros…" Wave said, trying to change the subject. "How did you get the Rubicante?"

Wave imagined the flamethrower weapon that Boros possessed, with its seemingly-limitless firepower. He had no idea just how strong that Imperial Arms was, but it was easily the one he was most intrigued by.

Boros nodded and shrugging his shoulders.

"There's not much of a story to Rubicante. I was a part of the Elimination Squad for the Capital. As an executioner, I would burn anything down with fire if I had been given the orders to do so." Boros paused and grunted, as though not proud of himself, and he continued. "When the Capital had discovered the Rubicante in the middle of a desert, they immediately brought it to me to see if I was compatible with it. After using fire as a weapon for so long, I was easily compatible with it, and I was selected by Lady Esdeath to use my Imperial Arms to burn down the rebels of the Capital."

"Do you want to be a part of the fight against the rebels, or do you fight for something else?" Kurome asked as she finished her treats. She looked at both Boros and Wave, waiting for a reply.

"I'll be honest with the both of you." Boros mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm not at all interested in the fight to protect the Capital, I'm just doing this so my family is safe."

"Your family lives in the Capital?" Wave asked.

"Yes, and as long as I fight in Lady Esdeath's team, they will be safe. That is why I fight."

"What about you, Kurome?" Wave then asked his other teammate, interested to know what her backstory was as well.

"I've been raised ever since I was younger to fight and kill for the Capital, this is nothing new." She said bluntly, not seeing the need to explain further.

The doors to the room opened again and the rest of Esdeath's team entered.

Wave exchanged a polite nod to everyone as they walked into the room, though his nod to Seryu was half-hearted.

Esdeath was the last one to enter the room, heaving a heavy sigh as she took her hat off and let her blue hair flow down her back. She looked nearly as tired as Wave, but a dangerous aura still emitted around her as she walked up to the table.

"Get up, you three." She said to Wave, Kurome and Boros, walking straight back to the door. "We're going right away."

"Going where?" Wave asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You're going to meet the Emperor at the throne room. It's a couple of floors up."

Wave was getting up from his chair while Esdeath was saying that and he nearly fell onto the ground. He gasped and shook his head in disbelief.

"No way, we're meeting the Emperor?! What for?"

"Well, we're the first team of Imperial Arms users to ever exist in the Capital. It makes sense that the Emperor would want to meet us at least once." Run explained in the same tone you would use to explain something simple to a baby. Wave frowned.

"I wonder if he's stylish…" Doctor Stylish giggled excitedly as he left the room. Wave was the last one out of the room, and his heart was beating fast.

He did not know much about the Emperor except for the fact that he's very young. Being raised in a small village of fishermen, Wave had never even imagined that he would come face-to-face with the Emperor himself, but it was about to happen.

The team walked quickly through the hall, with Wave and Boros admiring the utter beauty of the marble floor, and climbed spiralling staircases until they finally reached the top floor of the palace. Esdeath walked in front of the group, knowing every hallway and corridor by heart, and let them to large red doors that depicted a royal crest on them. Two soldiers clad in golden armour stood in front of the doors, and Esdeath calmly approached them.

They nodded understandingly and opened the doors for them. Wave gasped as he went inside. There was a golden chandelier hung from the ceiling, sparkling in an elegant glow. The glass floor glimmered with every step that Wave took forward, and a red carpet had been spread across it, leading up to the Emperor's throne. The throne was high up and was probably the first thing that you would look at upon entering.

Sitting in the red throne was a young boy, just a short child, with a staff in his hands. Wave tried his best not to show any shock, but the Emperor was so young that he immediately began questioning how someone like a boy could become the ruler of an entire empire.

The Emperor had short, green hair and a kind smile on his face, sinking into the throne that was too big for him. He held his hands out and beamed.

"Ah! General Esdeath, you've brought your team!" He cheered, looking like he had met a celebrity for the first time.

Everyone, including Esdeath herself, knelt down on the ground to show respect to the Emperor. Wave was the last one to kneel since he didn't know that a gesture like that was necessary.

"Yes, they will be the ones that will make sure that the Revolutionary Army never gets a hold of your empire, my lord." She responded.

Then, a large, fat man appeared from behind the crown with a piece of meat in his jewellery-covered hand. He bit into the meat with a satisfied look on his face, and he chuckled.

"I assume that they are all Imperial Arms users?" He asked in a gruff voice, his eyes quickly skimming over the team presented before him. Wave's eyes squinted slightly, he didn't receive a good vibe from the man.

"You assume correctly, Minister."

Kneeling on one leg, Wave stared up at both the Minister and the Emperor. The ruler was far too young to be ruling an empire, that was for certain, and the Minister was so obese that Wave thought that the man could explode at any moment. They were a strange pair and Wave had been expecting something different, but he said nothing about the matter.

His eyes met the Emperor and the young boy smiled, pointing his golden staff at Wave unexpectedly.

"You there, rise." He commanded kindly and Wave glanced at Esdeath for a moment. Esdeath immediately nodded at him and Wave knew that the gesture meant he had to do as he was told. He stood, and the Emperor continued. "I think I know you."

"Me, my lord? I'm just a simple fisherman, I doubt you know me." Wave answered, trying to sound as polite as he could even though he had never been raised to possess class.

"Oh, that's it! You're the fisherman that got accepted by the Imperial Arms we've been keeping!" He said as he clapped his hands together, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I believe it was called the Grand Chariot." The Minister noted quietly, sinking his teeth into another piece of meat he had with him.

"Yes, that's right."

"Why did that Imperial Arms choose you? We had so many of our own soldiers try it, but it didn't work!"

"To be honest, my lord, I have no clue myself. I haven't had any experience with Imperial Arms before and the most I've ever involved myself in fighting is when I signed up for the Imperial Navy."

"A true sea man, eh?" The Minister chuckled, looking mildly entertained.

"I suppose so, yes."

The Minister nodded and walked down the steps leading up to the throne, his hands behind his back. Everyone else in the team stood up to meet him and he stared at them all, as though judging everything about them with single glances. He eventually turned to Esdeath again, a raised eyebrow present on his face.

"Are you sure they're up to the challenge?"

"They're a little rough around the edges, but they'll manage. Every last member of Night Raid will die, I can promise you that."

The obese Minister seemed satisfied with that promise and grinned. He looked at the rest of the team and decided to fill them in on the plans that they had devised.

"Now, we need Night Raid to be eliminated as fast as possible, so we need them to come out of hiding. How do think we'll do that?"

Wave knew what was going on. The Minister already had a plan himself, but wanted to know if the others could think up the same thing, or at least something similar. Seryu confidently raised her hand to answer.

"Oh, I know!" She cheered, waving her hand high in the air.

"Yes?" The Minister laughed.

"We should bring the evil people here, where they can't hide!"

"Exactly," The Minister nodded. "We lure Night Raid right onto our own battlefield and fight them on our terms. All we need is bait."

"Bait? What do we possess that could bring Night Raid to the Capital?" Run asked, not following.

The Minister paused and his grin grew across his face, looking almost inhuman to Wave. He gulped nervously as the Minister looked at everyone with his unearthly smile and laughed.

"Simple, we'll use Zank the Executioner!"

"Zank…the Executioner…?" Wave repeated slowly, knowing for certain that he had never heard a name like that before.

"He's a retired executioner that possesses a dangerous Imperial Arms. If we let him loose in the streets, word will undoubtedly reach Night Raid and they'll come to see it for themselves." Esdeath explained, her hands on her hips.

"Then we can deliver swift justice!" Seryu giggled happily, but Wave was silent.

There was something very wrong with this plan and he wasn't comfortable with it.

Still, if it meant finally taking down the assassination group that threatens the innocent, he won't complain about this.

Night Raid must die.

No matter the cost.


	7. No 6: Kill The Executioner

It was easy to tell that Najenda was on edge that night. She looked apprehensive, glancing left and right at every turn as her team wandered through the streets.

Najenda's team, Night Raid, trailed slowly behind, their weapons close at hand. Tatsumi looked completely out of place, being the scrawny and smallest member of the team of assassins. He walked alongside Bulat, watching silently as his muscles coiled around tensely under his skin, his veins popping out and pulsating. Bulat wasn't showing it with any facial expressions but he was combative, ready for a battle to feed his passionate soul. Seeing his teammate like this only made Tatsumi feel even weaker and antsy, he didn't know if he'd be able to keep up with people as strong as Bulat. He didn't want to feel timid like this, but he knew that it was true, they were going to be the ones doing all the hard work.

Mine and Lubbock were behind Tatsumi and Bulat, not looking even slightly anxious or afraid, like Tatsumi. They had the look on them that informed Tatsumi that they had been in fights like these far more times than he could imagine, this was something like a daily routine for them. A dark, ominous atmosphere circled the team as they proceeded through the shadowy pathways and alleys, trying their best to not stay on the main roads, even though there was nobody out to spot them.

"Where is everyone, Bulat?" Tatsumi asked in a whisper, his feet stepping into the moist, unhygienic puddles scattered across the floor like landmines. "The Capital suddenly just feels like a ghost town."

"The Capital has a curfew for everyone, no one is allowed outside of their homes after nine o'clock at night. They say that it's to keep everyone safe, but we both know that's not true."

"Keep it down, you two." Najenda snapped from the front of the group. "You don't want to scare away our target."

"Don't worry about _that._ Zank isn't the kind of man to run away from a challenge." Bulat chuckled, a knowing smile forming on his face, but he still did lower his voice when turning back to Tatsumi.

"Is this Zank guy…dangerous?" Tatsumi mumbled.

"Why do you think the entire team is here in the Capital? We rarely ever attack as a complete team, it's only if we know that our target is going to put up a serious fight."

"Is he…an Imperial Arms user too?"

"Yeah, from what we've heard. He's an Imperial Arms user that uses his abilities to behead people at complete random. He travels at night, so this is a perfect opportunity to track that freak down."

"With everyone here together, we can take him, right?"

"Of course. There's not an Imperial Arms user in the world that can take on several other users. We have a guaranteed victory if our plan works out correctly."

"Then…why does Najenda seem so nervous?"

Bulat looked around for a moment and acted aloof before finally heaving a heavy sigh and lowering his head, making sure only Tatsumi could hear his response.

"Think about it, Tatsumi. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a man shows up with an Imperial Arms and is a perfect target for us to kill. Word gets to us quickly and without any errors in it? Zank the Executioner didn't come to our attention because of rumours, someone _wanted_ us to know about him."

"Are you saying this might be a trap?"

"Might? No, I'm certain that it is."

"Then why are we still going in to fight Zank?!" Tatsumi gasps feebly, looking absolutely terrified.

"Because," Bulat chuckled again, seeming amused by Tatsumi. "We can't just ignore someone like Zank walking around and killing people, even if it's a trap."

Night Raid advanced forward through the alleys but stopped in their place as they came to a complete halt. Najenda, at the front, had stopped walking and had knelt down next to something on the ground, though Tatsumi couldn't see it properly. He took a few steps forward to see what is was that Najenda was inspecting, but he immediately regretted that decision.

It was a body with no head, blood gushing out of the fleshy wound where the neck should be. Tatsumi could tell by the person's clothes that it was a woman, but he couldn't stare for long without having a sickening, churning sensation in his stomach. He broke off his line of sight with the beheaded body and faced the other way, he didn't want to throw up in front of these assassins…again.

Najenda and Akame sat close to the headless body, looking at it without flinching. There was a small pool of blood surrounding the body and tiny chunks of the body's flesh was sitting next to it. Najenda traced her fingers cautiously over the area where the person's head should have been, not hesitating to touch the corpse. She eventually shook her head and glanced at Akame, who had remained silent the entire time.

"What do you think, Akame?" Najenda whispered, getting back to her feet. Akame stood as well and spoke quietly too.

"A clean cut through the neck with extreme precision. This has to be the work of our target."

As Tatsumi heard Akame answer Najenda's question, he was able to hear that strange girl's voice again. Akame's voice sounded calm but also sounded like the kind of voice that hadn't been used all that much.

"The body is still warm too, this was done very recently." Najenda added grimly.

Mine, standing beside the calm Sheele, slowly began to change the front portion of the Pumpkin to a rapid fire barrel.

"That means he's close."

Before Tatsumi could add anything to the conversation, a sudden pain struck him in the stomach as something sent him flying. Whatever it was, it was far too fast to see, and by the time Tatsumi realized that he had been hit, his back was already on the ground. He gasped for air, having all of the oxygen winded out of him, and raised his head. A tall man stood above, a large grin plastered along his maniacal face. He held out two large blades attached to the sides of each of his arms, and an unearthly, mechanical eye stuck to his forehead. He cackled as he looked at the fallen Tatsumi.

"Splendid, splendid!" He chanted, his two blades flashing in the moonlight beaming from above. "The special assassination team has finally come for me!"

The other members of Night Raid, especially Bulat, looked shocked as they saw Tatsumi on the ground, injured. It had taken them time to register what had just happened, but they already had their Imperial Arms out now, all of them ready to attack. It was only Najenda that did not pull out a weapon, but instead stood there nonchalantly.

"Zank the Executioner, turn yourself in now or we will attack you with full force." She warned with a blank expression, but Zank only laughed again after hearing that.

"What? You actually think I'll be stopped here? Oh no, no, no. This entire city is _my_ domain now, and I can cut as many heads as I want. Oh no, there's no way I can stop having this much fun!" He giggled, his green mechanical eye shining bright in front of him. He took a few steps away from Tatsumi and towards Night Raid, his blades at the ready, too.

"Even someone who's lost their mind should know that they can't defeat so many other Imperial Arms users." Mine growled back, the Pumpkin pointed directly at Zank, her finger at the trigger.

"Yeah, you're completely outnumbered, you freak. Do us all a favour and just give up." Lubbock concurred, silver strings spun around his fingers, a smug expression on his face.

Zank didn't look in the slightest bit frightened, and as Tatsumi finally got back to his feet, he saw the look of absolute confidence in the Executioner's eyes. Tatsumi stared silently, still breathing heavily, but he felt as though he should have been the one who was confident. After all, it was the entire team of Night Raid against one man. Even if he wasn't going to be any help, he felt relieved knowing that victory was theirs.

But as Zank laughed again, all that false confidence gradually seeped out of Tatsumi.

"You _really_ think that I would fight you all on _your_ terms?! That's very silly of you, for none of you realize the powers that my Imperial Arm possesses!"

"What are you talking about, man?" Lubbock questioned back with a raised eyebrow.

But it was already too late for any of them to react to what Zank had done. The glowing, green eye on Zank's forehead shone brightly and every team member of Night Raid began to look dazed, with Mine and Leone dropping to their knees. Tatsumi blinked a few times and his heart began to race, why were they all suddenly acting so strange?

Then the same thing that happened to Night Raid happened to him, everything around him went dark. He glanced around silently, staring into the empty world that he had suddenly entered. Immediately, Tatsumi felt terrible breathing and he was experiencing an outer body sensation, as though reality itself had faded.

Then the empty world he was trapped in transitioned and morphed into something else, Tatsumi's village. Tatsumi stared in disbelief as his little village was in front of him once more. He could see children running and playing, villagers walking around and acting cheery, and also some of his childhood friends waiting at the other end of the village. They waved from a distance and Tatsumi could hear a faint cry of his name, they were beckoning him to join them back at the village.

At first, Tatsumi's heart was filled with happiness. He was finally home again. It was as though he had never travelled to the Capital, it was as though he had never met and joined Night Raid, it was as though none of these awful events had ever happened to him. There was a warmth returning to Tatsumi's heart, the warm and fuzzy feeling of being absolutely happy again.

But there was also another feeling, a stinging sensation in his heart that completely contrasted the warm feeling he had been experiencing. Words kept repeating themselves in his head, refusing to quiet down.

 _None of this is real._

 _You're hallucinating, that Zank guy is messing with your head._

Suddenly, the village began crumbling away and Tatsumi could feel himself leaving the fake world. He was pulling back. He was resisting.

 _Wake up._

And that's exactly what Tatsumi did.

He felt his real body jerk violently forward from the cold ground. He was back at the Capital, he was in the middle of a battle with a madman. It was all flooding back into him. He didn't understand how he had suddenly began hallucinating, but he knew that he had to get back to his feet. He lifted himself up with his hands and placed his weight back onto his legs again. As he stood, he could clearly see Night Raid again. They were all lying on the ground, their eyes closed, except for Bulat. He was still shaking his head, trying his best to snap out of it. Tatsumi rushed to his side.

"Are you alright?" He asked Bulat, holding his shoulder tightly. Bulat shook Tatsumi grip off gently and nodded reassuringly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…wasn't expecting that."

Zank was stood there in front of them, still looking amused even though they had woken up from their hallucinations. He folded his arms and cackled in delight.

"Hm, so two of you resisted my Illusion Sight, huh? Splendid, splendid! This will be even more fun than I thought!" He cheered, almost seeming happy that Tatsumi and Bulat had resisted Zank's trump card.

"Make that…three…" Akame muttered as she rose from the ground, her eyes still tired. She seemed to be struggling to balance herself, but her katana was held out and ready to cut into something. Tatsumi glanced back at her and smiled, feeling relieved.

Bulat finally stood normally, his large, burly muscles pulsing out of his shirt. He looked pumped up and ready, but serious about the fight at the same time, which was not something Tatsumi had ever seen before. The ground beneath them almost felt like it was shaking as Bulat grinned, his raging spirit emitting out of him like a waterfall. It was the kind of fighting aura you would expect from a Danger Beast, but Zank didn't seem to notice it at all.

"Three against one? You might still be dazed from my Illusion Sight, but I'm afraid my Imperial Arm might not be able to handle that." Zank laughed in a mocking voice, acting scared in a silly manner, before grinning again and holding his hands out. "Good thing I have a little backup."

Out of the shadows casted down by the moon's scarlet shine, two figures stepped out and revealed themselves. The first person was a man with long blonde hair and a calm expression, and the other was a man with a gas mask and a flamethrower. They both stood beside Zank the Executioner.

"For the crimes you have committed against the Capital, I, Boros…" The man in the gas mask spoke in a muffled voice.

"…and I, Velix," The blonde man added, readjusting a smart, black, sleek tuxedo he had as his attire.

"…sentence you to death." Boros finished, turning on his flamethrower and watching as it sparked to life with spirals of fire circling around it.

The blonde in the tuxedo smiled and held out his own weapon, a massive scythe with a jagged design. He rested the large scythe on his shoulder and slowly walked towards Tatsumi, Akame, and Bulat. Boros looked slightly hesitant but also approached threateningly towards the three. Tatsumi gulped nervously as he unsheathed his iron sword and held it out. Akame and Bulat both looked calm, however, and they both took in a deep breath to ready themselves.

"Tatsumi, go for the man with the flamethrower." Akame immediately commanded, and Tatsumi nodded quietly. "Careful, that flamethrower is an Imperial Arm, it will not be easy."

That last part that Akame had added did not make Tatsumi feel very good, in fact, he started to feel a little sick. Still, he couldn't show fear in front of his teammates, so he began slowly walking towards Boros. Bulat glanced towards Akame with an excited expression on his face and chuckled.

"So, which one do I get?" He asked playfully.

"Go for Zank, he is the main target. I will defeat the man with the scythe." Akame stated in a monotone voice, sounding incredibly dull compared to Bulat.

Tatsumi walked towards Boros, Bulat approached Zank happily, and Akame stepped forward to Velix.

This was a battle between Imperial Arms. Someone was going to die.

Bulat was the first to attack, lunging forward at Zank and slashing him with Incursio's Key, using it as a normal sword, but Zank blocked them effortlessly. Bulat slashed a couple more times but Zank had successfully blocked them all, and began attacking back at Bulat, landing a few cuts on his shoulders and arms. The pain didn't seem to bother Bulat and he grinned as he stabbed Incursio's Key into the ground and roared as loud as he could.

" _Incursio!"_

Immediately, a bright light flashed around Bulat, and when it had disappeared, Bulat was covered in Incursio's armour. He was now wielding a lengthy spear in his left hand, using that to attack Zank instead. He used both slashing and stabbing moves, but Zank still seemed to be easily blocking them all.

"Damn," Bulat laughed as he panted within Incursio's armour. "I can't hit you at all."

"That's because you're forgetting that _I_ have this Imperial Arm." Zank cackled, pointing to the green, mechanical eye on his forehead. "This Imperial Arm also has another mode, Perceptive Sight. With this Sight, I can read every thought in your mind!"

Bulat grinned and lifted his red spear again, seeming to be having the time of his life. He laughed behind the helmet of Incursio's armour.

"Ah, that would explain it. Well, just because you know what I'm going to do next…doesn't necessarily mean you can stop it from happening." Bulat muttered, jumping forward.

In the blink of an eye, Incursio's armour boosted Bulat's speed to the point where he was just a white flash, zooming around the battlefield. He slashed away at Zank again, this time actually landing a few hits. He slid back to the ground as Zank kicked him back, but Bulat didn't fall over thanks to his armour. He chuckled happily and got into another battle stance, his red spear pointed directly at Zank.

"With that mind-reading business, you're lasting a lot longer than you should. This should be interesting, give me everything you've got!" Bulat roared, jumping towards the Executioner once more.

Akame hadn't attacked yet, she was still standing there, staring silently at her opponent. The blonde man, Velix, unbuttoned the first few buttons of his white shirt underneath the tuxedo and smiled confidently.

"Are you sure you want to go against me? This isn't just any old scythe I have, you know." He spoke, his voice sounding sharp, belying the smile he had worn just seconds before.

Akame remained silent for a few moments longer before finally speaking, her voice very quiet.

"That is the Adayusu, the strongest scythe according to the Capital. I…didn't know they possessed it." Akame mumbled admittedly, glaring at the black scythe with an unreadable expression.

"Heh, bingo. And don't worry, I know who you are and what your Imperial Arm is too. That's the Murusame, the one-cutter katana. You only need one cut to kill someone, if I've heard correctly."

"You have,"

"Interesting. Well then, I'll have to be careful, huh?" He whispered as he lunged forward, sweeping the ground with the Adayusu.

Akame jumped upwards, effortlessly dodging the scythe, and when she landed back on the ground she immediately kicked Velix in the stomach and sent him backwards. Velix grimaced but did not fall very far back, and the Adayusu was already swinging again at Akame. Akame leaped both left and right, leaning to the side every time the scythe came towards her, and then tried to cut Velix with the Murusame, though to no avail.

Velix was quick and nimble, with the Adayusu being a very dangerous scythe, reaching out to extreme distances to land a hit on Akame, but so far, she had still been able to dodge them all. This didn't bother Velix, he knew he would be able to hit her sooner or later.

But then again, Akame knew the exact same thing, so she began attacking seriously.

First, she used the Murusame to push Velix's Adayusu away, then used it to try and hit him. Velix blocked most of the attacks but a few of them tore into his black tuxedo, just barely missing his skin. He grumbled in irritation, his eyes couldn't properly keep up with Akame's ridiculous speed. He took a couple of steps backwards, trying to make some distance between him and the red-eyed assassin. His scythe wasn't nearly as effective at short range, he needed to keep his distance in order to stand a chance. He smashed the Adayusu into the ground as Akame tried to get close and then spun it around him, making it impossible to approach him without being cut by his weapon. He kept it spinning around casually, allowing Akame to see just what kind of techniques he had developed after wielding his Imperial Arm for so long.

"Pretty impressive, no?" He smiled, the Adayusu still spinning around him and keeping Akame away. "This scythe is both the ultimate shield _and_ the ultimate weapon."

"Not exactly." Akame whispered back, suddenly rushing forward and disappearing again.

She was moving too fast for Velix to see again, but he didn't panic. As long as he kept his scythe spinning around him, there was absolutely no way she'd be able to harm him.

Right?

Akame reappeared directly behind Velix in an instant, and her katana flashed right next to Velix's neck, only to miss it by an inch as he fell backwards and scrambled to his feet. He rubbed his neck frantically with his free hand, tracing his hand over it as the fear of being cut by the Murusame crept in. He gave a quick sigh of relief as he realized he hadn't been cut, and gradually began to regain his composure and readjust his messy tuxedo, trying to play off his fear as though he hadn't shown it.

"That…was a close one."

Akame had a blank expression on her face, as always.

"Eliminate." She stated back like a mindless machine, lunging forward and attacking him again.

But Velix had begun to understand how Akame moved, and soon enough, he was getting better and better at keeping sight on her even when she was moving. She was still mostly a blur, but he could slowly start to see her more and more, and he knew that he had finally adapted enough to take her down.

He swung the Adayusu forward and stabbed the ground, leaving a small cut on Akame's ankle, drops of blood slowly starting seeping out. He grinned and attacked again before Akame could react, this time leaving a slightly deeper cut on her right arm. Akame did not flinch nor show signs of feeling of pain, and she was able to kick Velix in the stomach again before he could attack again, but he braced himself for the hit and it barely sent into pain into his body. He raised his scythe again and clashed it against Akame's katana, the both of them struggling to finish off the other. They started sending barrages of slashes towards each other, their weapons complete blurs to the normal eye. The Adayusu and the Murusame were similar in some ways. This wasn't going to be easy.

A pause occurred as they both took in a deep breath.

They both dashed forward as fast as they could, both of them wanting to end this with one final attack. They swung their weapons forwards at full force, both of their attacks so fast that neither of them had attacked first.

There was silence as they both stared at each other. They didn't know who had landed the hit. Velix stood there anxiously, expecting blood to gush out of him at any moment. Instead, however, Akame's right leg suddenly revealed a large, deep wound with crimson-coloured blood spewing out of it at a fast speed. Velix grinned. He had been the one that landed the hit.

"Heh, sorry, Akame. It looks like this win belongs to…" He began laughing happily, before pausing as he felt the sensation of pain on his left hand.

He glared down at his left hand and saw a small cut scraped on it. It wasn't a large cut nor was it deep at all, but Velix immediately realized that his fate had been sealed.

"…me." Akame finished for Velix, standing up and sheathing her Murusame back into its place. The battle was over for them.

Velix stared sadly down at the cut on his left hand and watched silently as black tattoos began to spread out of it, gradually covering his entire body. He sighed. He hadn't taken a serious injury at all, but that small cut was all that was needed to defeat him. He looked back at Akame for a moment, the Adayusu dropped out of his hand, and he shook his head slowly.

"Damn," was all that Velix could manage to say before the tattoos reached his heart and stopped it from beating. His body dropped down to the ground, he was now just a lifeless corpse.

Akame had eliminated her target.

Tatsumi, on the other hand, wasn't doing nearly as well as his comrades were.

Boros didn't let Tatsumi get anywhere close, releasing waves of fire over and over again from the Rubicante.

Tatsumi screamed in agony as he failed to dodge one of the flames and his skin went black. He dropped to the floor, screaming and crying as his entire right arm had been severely burnt. He fought with his right hand as well, he couldn't use his sword anymore. This fight wasn't going to last long at all.

Then again, he was fighting against an Imperial Arm user. He never really stood much of a chance to begin with. All he could do now was try to survive for as long as he could.

But, the way things were looking, that wasn't going to be very long at all.

Bulat was also having trouble with Zank, the two of them head-to-head in a seemingly endless fight. With Incursio's armour, he was both stronger and faster, but with Zank seeing every movement that Bulat would make beforehand was making this far more difficult. Bulat punched Zank in the face and took a few steps backwards and sighed, Incursio's armour wasn't going to last forever, he needed to end this quickly.

Zank and Bulat clashed together over and over again with their brute strength, but none of Bulat's surprise attacks would work with Zank reading his mind, this was only frustrating to Bulat and he could feel his anger slowly build up. He threw himself forward at Zank and grabbed him by the shirt before kicking the Executioner in the stomach, with Zank groaning and recoiling backwards. He tries to cut into Bulat's head and execute him, but none of his attacks were getting into Incursio's armour, it was almost unbreakable. They threw attacks at each other again and again, with neither of them holding the upper hand to the other. Zank cackled with amusement as he gets punched by Bulat once again, and holds his hands out smugly.

"Splendid, splendid! You're quite valiant, you know? Most people don't last this long, I'm starting to want to behead you more and more. I wonder what kind of expression you'll make when your head is in my hands…" He giggled, his Imperial Arm shining brightly with an ominous glow.

"Yeah, that damn Imperial Arm of yours is pretty powerful. I can't land a fatal hit no matter how hard I try." Bulat mumbled back, stretching his legs and warming himself up.

"Haha, of course not! This is the Imperial Arm called Spected! With it, I have the ultimate vision. I saw you and your team approaching from miles away with my Far Sight, so I lead you all the way here by leaving a little trail. Do you see now? I am the ultimate Executioner!"

"Yeah? Well, sorry to break it to you, but _I'm_ the ultimate ass-kicker."

Zank wanted to say something cheeky back, but was interrupted by a fist digging itself into his face. Bulat punched the Executioner with so much force that the ground beneath them was turned to rubble and reduced to small stony pieces. Bulat's fist had hit Zank's Imperial Arm, the Spected, but it did not show any signs of damage. Zank, on the other hand, howled in agony and stepped backwards. He had seen the punch coming, but he wasn't able to move out of the way in time. Blood seeped out of a gash on his face and he held his the blades on his arm threateningly at Bulat.

"That…hurt a little."

"Well then, sorry for some bad news, but these are going to hurt even more."

Bulat didn't stop there, he moved forward again and kicked Zank in the shin, paralyzing him long enough to punch him in the chin. Zank hissed and attacked back, landing multiple scratches on Incursio's armour, but he still couldn't break through it. They attacked each other relentlessly but Zank was starting to look battered and the Spected now had several cracks present on it. He gasped as he tried to desperately catch his breath but Bulat wasn't going to let that happen. He leapt into the air and smashed Zank into the ground, or whatever was left of it, and punched Zank while he was on the ground, repeatedly until Zank finally kicked him off. They both panted. Neither of them were having fun anymore, they just wanted to finish this.

"Heh, this has been interesting, but it's time for me to claim your head." Zank muttered, tearing off the coat he was wearing and revealed some bulky muscles underneath, relatively the same size as Bulat's. "It'll take a lot outta me, but I want that head separated from that neck _now._ "

"Go ahead and try." Bulat challenged, still standing in the scratched and damaged Incursio's armour.

Zank closed his eyes and whispered.

"Illusion Sight."

Bulat's eyes widened as he felt his conscious fade away again, he didn't know that Zank could use that ability again so soon. He dropped to his knees, the world gradually disappearing around him. He grimaced and tried to snap out of it.

He couldn't. This time the ability was focused solely on him instead of all of Night Raid, the intensity was far stronger.

Zank watched happily as Bulat knelt down and stood still. The Executioner held out his blades and walked casually up to Bulat, ready to finally claim his prize, that fighter's shrunken head.

"I can't wait to see your expression." Zank whispered as he swung his blades forward, aiming for Bulat's neck.

But a light flashed in front of Zank, and in the span of a few seconds, blood was pouring out of his neck. He gasped and felt his body go cold as he saw Akame standing in front of the hypnotized Bulat, her katana stained with his blood.

Zank coughed out weakly and touched the cut in his throat, he could barely breathe and the pain was absolutely agonizing. He dropped to his own knees and stared at the red-eyed assassin. She was simply looking down at him, not looking in the least bit worked up. For a moment, Zank was confused, she had her own target, how did she get over here and attack him? As he turned his head slowly, his answer was lying right next to him. Velix's lifeless body. Even though his throat was cut open, he still managed a quick giggle.

"That's…no…fair…" He laughed in delight before falling onto his back and closing his eyes. He had finally been put out of his misery.

Akame then looked at Bulat and slapped him in his face with force, causing Bulat to blink a couple of times and regain his senses. He stared around frantically, ready to fight even though Incursio's armour had disappeared.

"W-Where is he?!" He shouted anxiously, but Akame held his shoulders and shook her head.

"It's over. We have eliminated the main target." She stated, watching Bulat get to his feet.

"Really?"

"Yes,"

Bulat smiled again and sighed.

"Heh, we did pretty well, huh? I wonder what Tatsumi would say about-" He began to chuckle before freezing and feeling a cold sensation crawl up his spine.

Akame also widened her eyes and turned her head in the direction of where she had last seen him.

He was there, his clothes burnt and ripped, and he was bleeding helplessly on the ground.

"Tatsumi!" Akame cried out uncharacteristically as she rushed towards him, running as fast as she could.

"Oh no," Bulat whispered as he ran beside Akame and reached the unconscious Tatsumi.

He held Tatsumi gently and lifted him up, looking at Tatsumi's skin with tears in his eyes. The flesh on Tatsumi's arms and legs were completely black, reflecting the night sky, and the smell of burnt skin was emitting heavily from him. Bulat held Tatsumi carefully in his arms and shook his head frantically, in absolute disbelief.

"No, no, no." He whimpered weakly. Akame turned the other way, unable to look at Tatsumi in his current condition.

"That Imperial Arm user, Boros…he must have retreated after he saw us defeat his allies." Akame said with a cracked voice, her hands clenching into fists.

"Damn coward." Bulat hissed, lifting up Tatsumi properly and walking away. "We need to get him to the base, now."

Akame nodded and rushed towards Zank's corpse, grabbing the Spected Imperial Arms and collecting Velix's Adayusu. They would have to use these Imperial Arms later in the future. She then darted towards the unconscious members of Night Raid and shook them awake, one by one.

As each member woke up and had Akame explain to them what happened, Bulat stared quietly at Tatsumi, cradling him in his arms.

He looked at Tatsumi's chest through his ripped shirt and saw it move up and down. Tatsumi was still breathing, he was still hanging on. Bulat shook his head and forced a small smile onto himself. Even through all of the physical and mental agony he was experiencing, he put a smile onto his face and whispered softly to the unconscious Tatsumi.

"You did well, little brother. Don't worry, you'll be fine. I promise."


	8. No 7: Kill The Injuries

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* * *

Tatsumi had never experienced a kind of pain more agonizing than the one he was currently feeling.

The second he regained consciousness, the pain of the burns all around his body came back at full force. He screamed and kicked, shuffling violently around in his bed, not dealing well with the pain. Almost his whole body had been burnt by his opponent's Imperial Arm. Tatsumi had done his very best, trying to dodge the flames and get close to his enemy, but he was only burnt over and over again.

The next few days were a daze to him, constantly waking up and then losing consciousness again. He could recall some of the members of Night Raid coming to his bedroom to check on him, he even remembers Bulat trying to say something to him, but none of those memories are vivid enough for Tatsumi recall properly. From head-to-toe, he was only covered in thick bandages and different kinds of cream in order to heal whatever skin he still had left. There were parts sticking out of his flesh at around his knees, and soon enough, Tatsumi couldn't feel his body at all.

A few weeks passed, going by incredibly quickly for Tatsumi, and when he opened his eyes once again Akame was standing right beside his bed, smiling calmly for the first time at him.

"Hello," She started, showing clear hesitation and confusion of how to speak to Tatsumi. "…does it hurt?"

"Does what hurt?" Tatsumi managed to grumble back, his eyelids feeling like they weighed a ton.

"Everything, I suppose."

"Yeah, I can't name a single part of me that doesn't sting like hell right now." Tatsumi admitted, his head moving slowly on his pillow, now looking directly at Akame.

"Then chew this." Akame said as she revealed what had been resting in her clenched fist, it was a small, green leaf.

Tatsumi glanced at the leaf and grimaced, he wasn't in the mood to eat anything right now, and he had never seen a leaf quite like the one Akame was holding. It was an unusual shade of green with yellow, curvy lines following all the way down. Akame noticed Tatsumi's but said nothing, simply holding out the leaf and waiting for his response. Eventually, Tatsumi sighed and grabbed the leaf out of Akame's hand, slowly placing it into his mouth and chewing. It had absolutely no taste at all, it felt like he was just eating paper.

He gulped it down and expected to feel slightly different, but he felt nothing change within him. Akame noticed his confusion as well and decided to explain it to him softly.

"It's a kind of painkiller. Try to stand up."

Again, Tatsumi showed hesitation, but he gradually pulled his sheets away and sat up.

He didn't feel any pain at all. His burnt flesh didn't sting and he felt absolutely fine, if not a little numb. Tatsumi had heard of powerful painkillers before, some that were regularly used by troops, but he had never heard of one that was effective as the leaf he had. The effects of the leaf was almost immediate, and Tatsumi smiled gratefully at Akame.

"Thanks,"

"Do not mention it."

Tatsumi slid himself across the bed until he was sat at the very edge of it, his feet on the ground. He glanced at his own body for a moment, staring silently at his chest. Night Raid had done well to patch him up, but his flesh was still torn and had black spots around his stomach and legs. There were parts of his body that would never heal back to the right colour, but Tatsumi looked on the bright side. Looking at the areas of the burn marks that were still visible, he knew that some simple clothes would be able to hide them without a problem.

It bothered him to know that his first fight against an Imperial Arm user had already given him marks on his body that will never fade, but he did his best to ignore that fact.

"Where is everyone?" Tatsumi asked to get his mind off of his injuries, finally standing back on his own two feet again. He felt incredibly weak.

"Downstairs. Shall we go?"

"Yeah,"

It was a challenge in itself to go down the stairs, and Tatsumi chuckled dryly at the thought that he went from a fighter to a person who couldn't go down a few stairs without feeling unbearable pain. If these wounds didn't heal soon, he was going to go crazy with frustration.

At the Hall, where the entire team of Night Raid were currently having a discussion at, Tatsumi saw all of his teammates again. Their faces all beamed with light at the sight of him, except for Mine, who simply held a stoic expression. Leone immediately rushed up to the limping Tatsumi and hugged him tightly, her left breast pressing against Tatsumi's cheek, and Tatsumi instantly began to blush and pulled away.

"W-what?" Tatsumi managed to squeak, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

"We've been so worried! Gimme a nice, big hug!" Leone cheered happily, going in for another hug, but Najenda sighed and shook her head.

"Lay off him, Leone. His skin is still very sensitive with all those burns."

Leone giggled at Najenda's remark but backed off of Tatsumi, not wanting to hurt him.

Tatsumi smiled back and glanced at the rest of Night Raid, they were sat at a round table, all facing each other perfectly, with tired but determined expressions on their faces. Bulat didn't get out of his chair, but swung around in it to show Tatsumi a large grin plastered across his entire face.

"Little bro! It's good to see you up and moving again, Lubbock here was getting worried." He laughed in his deep face, glancing at Lubbock.

The green-haired boy looked startled by Bulat's statement and shook his hands in front of himself anxiously.

"Who? Me? You're crazy!" He grumbles before looking back at the table, missing Tatsumi's entertained face.

"Here, I saved a seat for you just in case." Bulat spoke softly, patting a wooden chair right beside his own. Tatsumi nodded his head and walked over to the chair, carefully sitting himself down.

"Ow," Tatsumi hissed quietly as he sat properly down on the chair, his burnt areas beginning to sting a little again. It seemed the effects of the painkiller Akame gave were powerful but didn't last that long.

"Hurts, huh?"

"Yeah," Tatsumi admitted before gritting down on his teeth and tying to ignore the pain as best as he could. "What were you guys discussing?"

"The Capital." Mine scoffed, irritated. She didn't seem like she was in the mood to talk about the subject again, but she forced herself in order to keep Tatsumi informed. "And about their strength."

"Indeed," Najenda concurred, sitting down at the table herself. "We knew of two of the Capital's Generals possessing Imperial Arms, but we did not expect Zank to have one as well."

Najenda paused for a moment, taking a quick puff of the cigar rested in her mouth and staring at her teammates, almost looking at them with a relieved expression.

"We were put at a major disadvantage. Zank was able to put almost all of us asleep. We could have all been killed. We need to be more prepared for Imperial Arm users, we cannot be taken by surprise anymore." She eventually continued, her face looking incredibly grim.

"What does that mean?" Tatsumi asked curiously.

"It means," Najenda whispered back to Tatsumi, staring directly at him with her one, visible, purple eye. "You and Mine are going to be taking a lot more trips to the Capital. We need information on their troops, or something like Zank's situation will happen again."

Tatsumi wasn't fond of the idea of spending more time with the bossy and rude Mine, but he also agreed that he didn't want to be taken down by an Imperial Arm user again. Surprises weren't exactly his cup of tea.

"Still, we pulled out alright." Bulat interrupted, looking the most cheerful out of all of Night Raid. "We killed the target, none of us died, and Tatsumi survived his first fight against an Imperial Arm user."

"All I did was run around a bit before being taken down." Tatsumi noted himself, feeling himself going red. He felt embarrassed from the sudden praise he was receiving.

"Doesn't matter." Leone exclaimed back, patting him on the head. "Surviving against an Imperial Arm user without having your own is something to seriously brag about."

"I agree." Akame stated as well, not smiling like the others. "The mission was still a success, and we even collected more Imperial Arms."

That sentence that came out of Akame's mouth immediately caused Tatsumi to jump out of his chair excitedly. Night Raid now had more Imperial Arms in their possession. Perhaps, finally, Tatsumi would be able to have one for himself. Those special, legendary weapons that made people ridiculously powerful…he wanted one more than anything.

"Can I try one?" Tatsumi asked, excitement clearly bursting out of him. He was practically shaking with energy, his eyes full of light, and Bulat looked at that energized expression.

Bulat couldn't hold it in, he laughed as hard as he could, even wiping away a little tear that had collected at the corner of his eye. He clapped his hands together and slapped Tatsumi playfully on the back.

"Heh, of course you can! Just look at him, all pumped up!" Bulat chuckled, and soon, the rest of Night Raid had grins on their faces too.

"Looks like a kid on Christmas, about to open his present." Lubbock snickered light-heartedly, but that comment still struck Tatsumi hard. He didn't enjoy it when people called him childish.

Najenda got out of her chair and wandered over to the centre of the Hall, smiling slightly herself, and everyone else followed behind her.

She approached a wooden box with a lock on it, and surprisingly, she opened it easily with her mechanical arm. Tatsumi didn't know how a robotic arm could move its fingers around so accurately, but he wasn't sure if asking her about the arm would be okay.

Najenda opened the box and Tatsumi leant over to see the contents inside. There was both a mechanical, green eye and a black scythe with a shadowy aura around it. One was definitely more attractive to Tatsumi, however Najenda first handed the mechanical eye to him first.

"The Imperial Arm called Spected. It is said to give the user the ultimate sight to whomever uses it." Najenda introduced the Imperial Arm, and as it glowed ominously in Tatsumi palm, he was already eager to try its power.

"Should I just put it on my forehead?"

"Go ahead."

Tatsumi stared at Night Raid happily before clutching the Imperial Arm tightly in his hand and placing it onto his forehead. Without any band to support it, the Imperial Arm somehow attaches itself to Tatsumi's head immediately and begins to operate.

It was a strange sensation to Tatsumi. He could somehow see out of the third eye on his head now, with the same vision of his normal ones. Tatsumi gasped. He didn't know how such an object could even exist, but he wasn't about to question something as incredible as this. He glanced at Bulat, who looked amused by the whole thing, and grinned.

"This. Is. So. Cool." Tatsumi giggled slowly and Bulat smiled excitedly back.

"You haven't even started yet. Try using one of its abilities. One of them was mind reading, if I remember correctly." He said back to Tatsumi and Tatsumi nodded back obediently, closing his eyes.

" _Give me mind reading abilities."_ Was all that Tatsumi could think of to say in his mind. He had no idea if this was how Zank the Executioner would command this Imperial Arm, but he thought it would do the trick anyway.

For a moment, just a few seconds, Spected operated normally for Tatsumi but then automatically shut down.

The second Spected shut itself down, Tatsumi felt weak in his knees and fell almost fell to the ground, if not for Bulat holding him by the shoulder. Bulat reacted quickly and held Tatsumi before he could fall, and Najenda quickly pulled the Imperial Arm off of his forehead. Tatsumi groaned and eventually got to his own feet again, giving Bulat a thankful expression before turning to Najenda.

"W-What happened?"

"It rejected you. You are not compatible with it."

Tatsumi felt his heart sink. For whatever reason, he was really expecting the Imperial Arm to be compatible with him, but he saw now that it was just his confidence that had blinded him. He watched grumpily as Najenda placed the Imperial Arm back into the box where it came from.

He had missed his first chance to become an Imperial Arm and he felt terrible. For a moment, he wanted to lower his head in shame as Night Raid was staring at him. But a small shred of hope still remained in his heart, there was one more Imperial Arm that he hadn't tested.

"As for the second one we got…" Najenda mumbled, lifting up the large, black scythe from the box. "This is the Adayusu, a dangerous scythe. Try it."

Tatsumi held it in his hands and sensed its ridiculous weight. It weighed far more than he had expected, but he held onto it as well as he could. He clenched its handle with both of his hands and glancing at the team. Lubbock looked the most entertained person now.

"Damn, that looks badass."

"You look like a reaper!" Leone noted as well, clapping her hands together.

Tatsumi turned to Najenda, trying his best not to show that he could barely hold Adayusu, and raised an eyebrow.

"So, how do I know if I'm compatible with it?"

"Apparently," Najenda responded slowly, flipping through a book with her normal hand. "According to the intel we've received, it should have the ability to turn into fire at the user's will."

"That sounds so cool," Tatsumi blurted out childishly, and he heard Mine's quiet snicker.

He calmed himself down and stared at the black scythe in his hands, imagining the whole Imperial Arm materializing into flames. He thought and pictured it over and over, but nothing happened. It remained the absolute same and did not react. Tatsumi frowned. It had to work for him. It _had_ to.

He gripped Adayusu's handle with more force, chewing the inside of his cheek nervously. He wanted to be an Imperial Arm user so bad, this was his only chance now. If only the Imperial Arm would turn into fire. If only.

Everyone's eyes, even Akame's, widen with shock as a small spark of light bounced off the scythe's surface. Tatsumi saw as well and he immediately felt confident again. He grinned and imagined Adayusu turning into a weapon of fire.

And that's exactly what happened.

It flashed with life, glowing brightly in Tatsumi's hands, and circles of flames appeared around Adayusu. It circulated around the weapon, gleaming in a bright light, and everyone watched in astonishment as the flames eventually covered the entire scythe except for the handle that Tatsumi was holding. It was a burning weapon of fire, radiating its light across the entire Hall.

Najenda smiled at Tatsumi proudly, tapping his right shoulder gently.

"It seems the Adayusu is compatible with you."

Tatsumi smiled back and felt like jumping for joy, though knew doing that would only make him seem more like a child, so he held it in.

"So, I'm an Imperial Arm user?" He asked with his eyes widened.

"That's right."

"But don't get too full of yourself," Mine interrupted, her arms folded and her surprised expression gone before Tatsumi could properly enjoy it. "Seeing how it took so long for you to activate it, you're probably only halfway compatible with it."

"Halfway…compatible?" Tatsumi repeated back slowly, not following.

"Every Imperial Arm has a scale of how compatible you are with it. Bulat, for example, is completely compatible with Incursio, but you aren't with the Adayusu."

"So…what does that mean…?"

"It means you cannot use the Adayusu to its full potential." Akame answered before anyone else could, and Tatsumi had that sinking feeling in his heart again.

"Chin up, little bro." Bulat chuckled, however, and rubbed the top of Tatsumi's head. "You can still wield it and use its powers."

Tatsumi nodded back and grinned again, staring at the Adayusu as its flames dispersed and went back to normal again. He was fine with not being fully compatible with it, he was still able to wield a legendary weapon that he used to think of as myths. That, for him, was more than enough.

He was now an Imperial Arm user.

"First thing we'll do when you fully heal is train you with your new Imperial Arm, how does that sound?" Bulat grinned happily at Tatsumi, and Tatsumi grinned back in the exact same fashion.

"Yeah!"

* * *

Tatsumi had given Adayusu back to Najenda as she said she wanted to take care of it while he was still recovering. He walked out of the Hall and walked back up the stairs without limping anymore, gradually he was getting used to the pain of his burnt marks. Soon enough, he wouldn't feel it at all.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he wanted to head right back to his own room, but noticed the door next to his wide open, with Lubbock sitting inside. He hadn't gotten to know Night Raid well enough, this could've been the perfect chance to do so.

There was a lot of things going through Tatsumi's mind, however, and he did not feel confident with talking solely to one of the members yet. What was he going to say? Could he actually strike up a normal conversation with an assassin? They killed people with hesitation, and while Tatsumi had done that once or twice, it was only because he had to. These people actually did it every day, as their personal job.

Tatsumi shook his head.

He was one of them now, whether he liked it or not. He couldn't separate them from himself anymore. There was no discrimination now, and he could no longer say that he was any better or different from them.

He walked over to the room and slowly stepped inside, looking at Lubbock's tired and thoughtful expression. Tatsumi immediately knew there was something heavy on Lubbock's mind, so he rubbed the back of his head nervously and spoke.

"Um, can I come in?"

Lubbock was sitting on his bed, brown and plain like Tatsumi's, and when he looked up at Tatsumi his grim expression did not falter.

"Yeah, sure." He whispered back restlessly, looking down at the floor.

Tatsumi entered the room properly and decided to sit down right next to Lubbock. There was some extreme tension and ice to break between them, as they had never spoken personally to each other, but Tatsumi knew that they had to talk like this at some point.

"Why the long face?" Tatsumi asked in a playful tone, his head tilted to the side.

"Things on my mind, it's bringing me down, man." Lubbock sighed back after a pause of silence.

"Helps if you talk about it."

Lubbock looked at Tatsumi properly now and another pause of quiet followed. He looked upset at first, then conflicted, and then finally a little relieved.

"You know…I've wanted to talk about my problems for a while. But I can't talk about it with a girl, and I don't think Bulat would listen to me well. You might be my only shot, huh?"

"Fire away. I won't judge, Lubbock."

Lubbock sighed again, heavier this time.

"I got my eyes on someone. It's a person I've been thinking of for a long time and someone I want to be with, but I don't think it'll ever work out."

Tatsumi stayed quiet, listening carefully, and he frowned.

"Hey, you can't know it's not possible until you try. Just because you're an assassin doesn't mean you can't be with someone ordinary."

Finally, a smile reached Lubbock's face, but it wasn't a normal one. It was one that was both entertained yet slightly pained, and he shook his head at Tatsumi sadly.

"She ain't ordinary."

"What do you mean?"

"…she's an assassin too."

At first, Tatsumi looked confused and didn't understand how that could be possible. Lubbock liked someone who was also an assassin, how did something like that work?

Then it hit him.

It was someone in Night Raid itself.

"You can't be serious." Tatsumi eventually found himself laughing in disbelief.

"I am."

"Who?"

Lubbock couldn't find it in himself to say the exact person who, it wasn't something he was comfortable with saying yet, so instead he shook his head and smiled normally again.

"It ain't important, is it? I just…don't know how to get to her."

The possibilities rushed through Tatsumi's mind. It could have been the annoying and rude Mine, or the silent and strange Akame, or the playful and flirty Leone, the shy Sheele, or even the leader of Night Raid herself. Tatsumi thought for a second to insist on an answer, but he knew that Lubbock was right. Who he had a crush on wasn't important, he needed help right now.

"Well, have you ever thought of just confessing?"

"That won't work."

"How can you know? You haven't tried, have you? Who knows, she might have been waiting for your confession all this time."

"I doubt that," Lubbock chuckled back coldly, but his expression lightened up and he looked better. Much better.

"Well…how much do you like her?"

"Enough that I only joined Night Raid in order to be closer to her."

That startled Tatsumi and he almost slid off the bed with shock.

"You joined this assassination team…just for a girl?"

"Sounds stupid, I know. It probably is, but that's how much I want to be with her."

Tatsumi wasn't sure what else to say to Lubbock. No kind of advice came to his mind.

"I can't really say I've been in your position, I don't know how to help."

Lubbock grinned and shook his head again, tapping Tatsumi softly on the back and standing back up.

"Nah, you already did."

"I helped? How?"

"You listened. That's what I really needed right now, thanks."

"Uh, no problem."

Tatsumi stood up as well, walking behind Lubbock as he exited the room. They wandered the other end of the corridor, and as Tatsumi glanced momentarily at Lubbock's bright smile, he knew that his friend was back to his usual self once more.

They approached another room, this one having decorations on the door, filled with stickers with words in a language Tatsumi couldn't read. He glanced at it for a few seconds, the letters didn't even look English. Lubbock stood by the door and folded his arms.

"Well, we've got an assignment to search the Capital again, knock on the door."

"Whose door is it?"

"Mine's. She should be up by now, wake her up and we'll go."

Tatsumi nodded understandingly and walked closer to the door.

The thing was, there were so many things going through Tatsumi's mind that he was slightly dazed, and instead of knocking he opened the door himself and stepped inside.

And Mine's almost-naked body was the last thing he saw before she fired a massive laser for him to duck under.

" _Pervert!"_


	9. No 8: Kill The Awareness

**Hello!**

 **Sorry for the wait, things have been busy for me, but I'm here now!**

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"Again,"

Wave panted and wheezed weakly as he dashed forward again, swinging his sword right at Esdeath, hoping at least to hit her one time.

They were located in the Palace's courtyard, surrounded by flowers. Wave clashed against Esdeath over and over with a barrage of attacks, but Esdeath blocked each and every one of them with a simple swing of her rapier. Her blue hair swayed majestically with the wind as she moved from side-to-side, dashing across the courtyard without any effort. This was supposed to just be a simple sparring session, but Wave growled in frustration. How could he not even hit her once? Even if she was a General, her immeasurable speed was just ridiculous to him.

"You need to strike harder, do it again." Esdeath commanded with an entertained grin on her face, and Wave nodded as he darted forward and tried to strike again.

The downward strike came close to Esdeath, and for a moment Wave that he was finally going to hit her, but then Esdeath blocked it effortlessly and kicked Wave in the stomach, powerful enough to send him flying across the courtyard. He groaned and struggled to get back up, only to be offered a hand by Kurome, standing at one corner of the courtyard, watching the sparring session. He took her hand and was surprised as she lifted him to his feet immediately, he didn't expect such skinny arms to have that much strength in them.

"Thanks," Wave muttered to Kurome as she chomped down on a biscuit in her hand, then glanced at Esdeath and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, I'm still not strong or fast enough."

"Nonsense. With the Grand Chariot's armour, you are a formidable foe. The point of our sparring is to make sure you're still capable of fighting without it. I'm sure the training will come in handy when we attack Night Raid."

"And when will we be doing that?"

Esdeath sheathed her rapier and smiled calmly, her shoulders shadowing a faint shrug.

"Honest has not yet given us direct orders to attack them. We had planned for Zank to kill most of the members quickly…but as you know…that ended in a complete failure."

"Why didn't you send one of us? A person of our team would have made sure we had better chances."

"I did. I sent Boros. But, according to him, just three members of Night Raid were able to kill Zank, another Imperial Arm user I had sent, and even Boros himself had gotten injured. Night Raid are a troublesome bunch, but I'm glad they're putting up a fight."

Wave nodded and headed inside of the Palace again, the countless amount of thoughts in his head weighing him down. He was finally part of a team that could kill Night Raid, the merciless group of assassins that killed innocent people without a second thought, but all he had been doing so far since joining the team was training with General Esdeath. He wanted to be out there, fighting the criminals that called themselves the Rebels, and to hopefully take down at least one member of Night Raid.

At the same time, however, he knew very well that he couldn't just disobey Esdeath's orders. She had specifically told everyone not to leave the Palace unless it was to scout the suburbs of the Capital. And Wave knew he wasn't going to find any important criminals there. He had an Imperial Arm for crying out loud, but he still didn't have any good reason to use it. The hunger to hunt down criminals and make the world a better place was eating away at him, just sitting around or training all day was driving him mad.

He entered the kitchen to see Boros working hard on a dish, and while Wave couldn't see it properly, a simple whiff of its smell was enough to assure him that it was going to be great.

Boros turned around after placing something in the oven and saw Wave, causing him to chuckle amiably.

"Wave," He laughed, taking off white mittens that looked ridiculous on a bulky and muscly person like Boros. With laughter still emitting from his gas mask, he continued. "Why the long face?"

"You know, just bummed out that we still haven't got anything important to do. We're supposed to be the Capital's strongest team, but all we do is walk around the Palace all day, doing nothing at all."

"That frustrates you?" Boros questions back immediately, his cheerful tone gone.

"Well, yeah. I mean, innocent people are being killed out there while we speak. We should be out there, fighting for the people that need protection, right?"

With that comment from Wave, Boros turned away again and faced the active oven. He lowered his head and shook it, his voice sounding knowing and grim.

"I do not know the answer myself. All I know from my experience from an execution squad is this; people who rush into battle are the ones that die first."

That statement hit Wave hard, he didn't expect such words to come from a soft person like Boros. After a few seconds, Boros proceeded to work on preparing his dish like nothing had ever happened, and Wave sighed. He was aware that it was foolish to run into a fight with no strategy, but he also hated that every second they spent on planning was another second for a criminal or Rebel to do as he desires.

"What happened when you fought alongside Zank, by the way?" Wave asked instead, deciding that changing the subject was the best course of action.

"We lost." Boros responded, continuing to work on a plate that was in his hand. "I, Zank, and another Imperial Arm user called Velix. We went against three members of Night Raid and failed."

Wave knew already that Zank had been killed, but he didn't know the fate of this 'Velix' person.

"What happened to Velix?"

"Killed,"

"So, only you made it out alive?"

"Yes, fortunately I was fighting against the weakest member of Night Raid. While Velix and Zank were being killed, I took out my opponent and rushed off before they noticed."

"You retreated?"

"I fled, like a coward." Boros corrected Wave, his voice revealing that he wasn't proud of his decision.

"Hey, there's no reason to stay and fight if you know you're going to lose. You made the right choice."

"Perhaps,"

Then Boros placed his mittens on and stopped talking, and Wave realized that their conversation was officially over.

He could never get a good read on Boros. At times he was so gentle and kind, but other times grim and surrounded by an ominous aura. It made Wave wonder just what kind of face was behind that gas mask of his.

Munching echoed behind Wave and he spun around, looking at Kurome as she was standing beside him.

"I swear, you literally pop up out of nowhere." He grumbled at her, feeling rather startled.

Kurome shrugged, and Wave knew that she wasn't going to explain how she did that. He sighed and decided to keep moving, with Kurome following slowly behind him. For whatever reason, he couldn't get a good read on Kurome either. She didn't say much, and when she _did_ talk, it was short sentences that didn't reveal her personality. All Wave knew for now was that she loved eating snacks, he rarely ever saw her without a bag of them in her hand.

He glanced back at Kurome and her bag of treats, but she frowned at him and hugged the bag tightly. Wave knew what that meant, it meant to stay away from her snacks. It didn't hurt Wave's feelings and only made him chuckle, it was weird to see such a silent girl suddenly act like that about treats.

With Kurome following him, Wave made his way to the Palace's entrance.

While he knew that he wasn't going to find anything important at the suburbs of the Capital, he couldn't stay in the Palace any longer. At least he'd be able to get some fresh air into his lungs, and perhaps even stop a purse-snatching. He didn't need to bring it, but the Grand Chariot was strapped to his side, ready for combat. There wasn't any way he was going to use it for an ordinary thief he might turn into, but he felt incomplete without his Imperial Arm by his side.

For whatever reason, Kurome continued to follow him, even all the way down the steps and into the city's streets. No exchange of words. Nothing.

Wave constantly glanced back, expecting her to no longer be trailing behind him, but she was always there when he looked. Eventually, he slowed down his pace and scratched his black, scruffy hair with irritation and looked properly at Kurome, heaving a heavy sigh.

"Hey, are you following me?" He asked her in a gruff voice, filled with annoyance.

"Um," Kurome muttered back, chewing quietly on the edge of a brownie in her hands. She manages a shadow of a shrug back to Wave. "I guess."

"And _why_ are you doing that?"

Kurome answered with a second shrug.

"I'm bored."

That answer made no sense to Wave. Just because she was bored didn't mean she had to come along with him, she didn't even have any idea where he was planning on going. Still, with the casual and careless expression on Kurome's face, he knew that she was going to do her own thing no matter what he said. Instead of saying anything more about it, he simply sighed once more and walked again.

The streets were full of life, people laughing and playing in every direction, and Wave chuckled as children darted across the roads, giggling and cheering. This was the Capital, a bright and wonderful place, and he was part of a crucial group that was responsible for keeping that peace. It gave him an incredible feeling, realizing that he would soon be protecting these cheerful people. There was no way he was going to let any of the faithless Rebels march onto this place and take away all of this, that would never happen as along he was around. That was one promise he made to himself that he remembered every day. These people needed protecting.

Yet, at the same time, an ominous feeling crept along the back of his neck as he looked closer at the people walking on the pavement.

Gloomy expressions, tired glances, exasperated sighs, all of these things coming from people he would keep coming across. It made no sense to him, why were they so upset? If it was just one or two people, Wave could have just disregarded it as just people having bad days for themselves, but that wasn't the case. It wasn't just every now and then he would see these sorrowful people, it was extremely common. With everyone happy person there were always at least two gloomy and grim people trailing slowly and silently behind them. Perhaps some of the business in the Capital wasn't going well, that would explain it…but something told Wave that there may have been more to it than that.

Finally, Wave and Kurome reached the suburbs of the Capital.

In this area, Wave began to see those upset and grim people far more frequently. The roads of the suburbs were dirty and muddy, as well as being far too slim to be practical with ordinary transportation. There were also many people that were in complete rags as well, their dirty and weak hands reaching out, begging for money. Just seeing people live this way sent a sickening feeling to Wave's stomach, but he also couldn't find himself looking away. There obviously was a problem with poverty in the suburbs, and while Wave hadn't been expecting this area to be glamorous, its current state sent a feeling of shock through him. This place was part of the Capital too, it shouldn't have had to been this weakened and unsanitary compared to the centre of the Capital. Wave made a mental note in his mind to make sure to talk about this later with Esdeath. Perhaps she would be able to do something about it.

While dark and ominous, none of the alleyways held any event of crime for Wave to involve himself in. The suburbs were quiet, there was nothing for him to do, and he eventually found himself pondering whether or not to return to the Palace.

Wave glanced around one corner where he was sure he had been at before and started walking through it, he would just return to the road he came from now and head back to the Palace, there was nothing for him here.

Yet, when he reached the end of the alleyway, he was met with a couple more heading in multiple directions. He frowned. This wasn't how he remembered coming this way. Did he make a wrong turn somewhere?

"You're lost," Kurome remarked, finally finishing the last few crumbs of her brownie.

Wave glared back at her emotionless face and grunted.

"No, I'm not."

"Then why are we going around in circles?"

"Because, um, maybe we could exercise our legs a bit?"

"Really? That's why we're going around aimlessly?"

Wave lowered his head and sulked, his voice sounding grumpy and irritated.

"No, I'm lost."

Before Kurome could come up with witty and annoying response, the sounds of a struggle caught their attention.

It echoed throughout the alleyways and it sounded like an all-out fight. Wave glanced at Kurome again but her expression showed no reaction, letting him know that it was entirely his choice either he wanted to butt into that situation or not. Eventually, with a frown on his face, Wave decided that he would check out what was going on.

He jogged around the corner of another alleyway and came up to a dead end, only to see something he hadn't been expecting.

A young boy with spiked, brown hair forcing his fist into an old man's face, blood spewing uncontrollably from the man's nose. Beside them was a pink-haired girl, looking as though she wanted to end the fight.

"What are you doing?!" The girl asked the brown-haired boy, grabbing him violently by the sleeve. "You're going to attract attentio-"

The pink-haired girl noticed Wave and Kurome and immediately stopped talking, and when the brown-haired boy saw them too, he held back another punch and let the old man fall to the ground.

Wave placed his hands on his hips and advanced, a look on his face that demanded the right of authority. He came up close to the brown-haired kid and squinted his eyes.

"What's your name?"

"I-It's Tatsumi,"

"Well, Tatsumi, could you explain what the hell is going on here?"

Tatsumi hesitated and took a few steps back, his green eyes looking down at Wave's Imperial Arm, strapped by his side. Wave held back a laugh, someone was actually intimidated by him, suddenly it seemed like putting an end to crime was going to be an easy feat.

"This guy…he took someone's purse. I got mad…so I-"

"Punched him in the face?"

"Y-Yeah,"

Wave could tell that this boy wasn't comfortable, he had the look on his face that made it obvious that he wanted to be anywhere else than right here. Finally, Wave sighed and shook his head.

"Listen, kid. It's a good thing that you tried to stop a criminal, but by beating that guy up, you'll just become the criminal yourself, you know?"

"R-Right…"

"I'll turn a blind eye from this, but it'd better not happen again, got it?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

* * *

Tatsumi's heart was racing as he spoke to the Sailor.

He didn't want to attract attention the way he had, but that old man needed to be stopped. And somehow, that Sailor was letting him walk away.

And the moment Tatsumi turned his head back to Mine, she could see the fury in her eyes. She smacked him across the head and folded her arms as they made their way out of the suburbs.

"Look at what you did! They could have arrested us! Just what exactly would we do then?!"

"I couldn't help it," Tatsumi muttered back, his head lowered and his face flushed with embarrassment. "That man stole something, someone needed to stop him."

"Tatsumi, if we tried to stop every crime that happens in the Capital, we'd be here all day. Things like theft are just regular events here, and we can't draw attention to ourselves, remember? We have to do what Najenda said and stay invisible."

It bothered Tatsumi that she was right.

As much as it annoyed him, he was an assassin and this was what assassins would do. No matter what, they would do whatever it took to remain low profile. But even as an assassin, Tatsumi felt a ridiculous amount of pain whenever he saw injustice happening in the Capital.

Even though injustice was what built the Capital and what kept it standing, he couldn't bear to see it like this. These naïve and clueless people were living in the centre of corruption and they didn't even know it. If there was one wish that Tatsumi had, it was to just scream out to all of them that they were all being blinded and controlled like objects. If only he could just tell them all that the Emperor was corrupt and was exploited them every day.

But he couldn't. He was an assassin belonging to Night Raid now, and that meant that he had to stay as invisible as possible. Najenda had even told him that if one day the Rebel Army overthrows the Capital, the members of Night Raid would never be acknowledged. They would receive no praise, no appreciation, and no one would even be aware of their existence. That wasn't what Tatsumi wanted, but that was how things were.

"Hey," Mine spoke to Tatsumi, snapping him back into a proper train of thought. "Since we're in the clear, let's head to our objective."

"Yeah,"

Tatsumi lowered his head and smiled.

Even though he was always going to have to remain in the shadows and be a heartless assassin, he would have the opportunity to kill those that corrupted the Capital.

It was time to kill Ogre.


	10. No 9: Kill The Captain

**Next chapter time!**

 **Special thanks to Megaguy444, genaralraam, Taiski, and SBogus1699 for following and favouring! You're absolutely awesome! C:**

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* * *

There were many times in Tatsumi's life when he felt pumped up, but those times didn't even compare to how he was feeling now.

His hands were sweaty and he had a nervous grin on his face. It was just him and Mine against one of the most intimidating men in the Capital, General Ogre.

While holding the title of a General, Najenda informed Tatsumi that his role is minor as he's simply the captain of the imperial guards. Night Raid had decided to only send Tatsumi and Mine on this kill mission because Ogre was not an Imperial Arm user himself. That fact alone already gave the both of them an advantage over Ogre, and seeing how this was going to be Tatsumi's first battle using an Imperial Arm, his heart was beating rapidly in his chest.

"Don't get confident," Mine muttered in a grim tone to Tatsumi, almost reading his mind. They entered the back alleys and slowly moved towards the sounds of drunken laughter and glasses clinging together. "I don't want you to die while on a mission with _me._ It'll make me look bad."

"Well, that definitely makes me feel motivated."

"It'd better. General Ogre might not have an Imperial Arm, but he's the captain of the guard for a reason. He's tough."

"Tougher than two Imperial Arms?" Tatsumi asked with a smile on his face, tightening his grip on the black scythe in his hands. It still felt incredibly heavy. "I doubt that."

"Don't forget that you aren't fully compatible with that Imperial Arm, Tatsumi. No matter what you do, you'll never be able to release the Adayusu's full power. In a sense, it kinda means that you only have half of a _real_ Imperial Arm for yourself."

"Full power or no, it's still ten times better than any normal weapon, and that's good enough for me."

"Whatever," Mine eventually gave up, heaving a heavy sigh and tying up her long, pink hair. She glances at the Pumpkin strapped to her back before looking back at Tatsumi. "Just remember that I can't use the Pumpkin to help unless it's an emergency."

"Wait, what?" Tatsumi gasped back, the Adayusu almost slipping out of his hands as he faltered. "You won't use your Imperial Arm?"

"Not unless it's an emergency, no."

"But…why?"

"Because the Pumpkin isn't exactly quiet. Just one shot is all that it'll take before everyone in a five mile radius is alerted of our presence. We're assassins, remember?"

"So you want me to kill him?"

"If you can. However, should you fail terribly, I guess I'll have no choice. We might get caught by the Capital for it, but I'll be forced to use the Pumpkin."

"Oh…"

"So yeah, no sweat." Mine giggled to herself, enjoying how his confident expression had suddenly changed over to an anxious and unsure one. It was the kind of expression she expected out of a rookie like him.

Gradually, they approached the back door of the bar that they had been trying to find. This was part of the plan Najenda had figured out for them. Lure Ogre out into the alleyways and then kill him as quickly and as quietly as humanly possible. On the way here, Tatsumi had asked Mine if she would be the one to lure Ogre out by flirting with him, but all he received was a sudden punch to the face.

And there was no point of denying it, Mine could punch.

They reached the back door and took a deep breath that was almost in synchronization. Tatsumi noticed that. Even though she was far more experienced than him, Mine seemed nervous just the same way that he was. It only made Tatsumi more certain that this mission had its own serious risks. Imperial Arm user or not, this Ogre person could definitely present them with some trouble. At this point, Tatsumi even began wondering if he could pull it off.

But he had to. He knew that. Now, he was part of an assassination group. He had failed to help out the team in their battle against Zank the Executioner.

This was his only chance at showing Night Raid that wasn't just someone they needed to babysit.

With a brave smile facing Mine, Tatsumi pushed the back door open and stepped inside.

The strong smell of alcohol immediately filled Tatsumi's nostrils and he felt dazed. Just the aroma was enough to make him feel light-headed, people at this bar drank like there was no tomorrow.

With a quick slap to his own face, Tatsumi snapped out of it and kept moving forward, trying to find where the target was. All around him were middle-aged men spending all of their money on more and more drinks, and a couple of women here and there to entertain them. Just seeing a place like this made Tatsumi feel disgusting, these men could be doing better and more helpful things instead of just intoxicated themselves and using women as entertainment.

When Tatsumi had first been told that he had to find Scar in the bar, he thought that spotting him would be difficult, but that wasn't the case at all. A single glance to the one of the corners of the bar was all that Tatsumi needed to spot his target. And when he did, somehow even more confidence had been drained out of him than before.

Scar was a giant, the table he was sitting at being far too small for him, and the bulky men around him didn't even compare in size. He h ad sharp teeth like a shark and a large scar over his left eye, most likely the facial feature that got Scar his infamous name. That man had done it all. There were multiple accounts of him being bribed by criminals, arresting and killing innocent people of the Capital, and even a rumour that he had torn one of his rivals in half. While Tatsumi assumed that rumour was false or exaggerated, that changed now that he could see Scar's size for himself.

Tatsumi had left his Imperial Arm, the Adayusu, with Mine but now he wished he hadn't.

Doing his best to endure the strong smells of alcohol, Tatsumi walked carefully towards Scar's table and readied himself to call out to the target.

However, unexpectedly, the target spoke first, seeing Tatsumi approaching.

"If this is about my bet with Ash, save it for later. That man will get his blood money."

Tatsumi faltered, a confused expression drawn across his face.

"I, um, think you're mistaking me for someone else."

"Oh? Guess you're right, you just look like one of those errand boys that keep bothering me." Scar said. "What are you coming to my table for then?"

"I was…well…I was hoping I could…join the Imperial Police force?"

Scar stared silently at Tatsumi for a few moments, his curious look letting Tatsumi know that he wasn't impressed with what he saw.

"Another applicant, huh? Well, you're a little too small for our standards, kid."

"W-Wait! I've been training for a very long time, I'm stronger than I look."

"Doubt it,"

"Please sir…give me a chance. Why don't I show you what I've got?"

That caused Scar to chuckle and put down the mug he was drinking from. He stood, revealing his ridiculous size, and Tatsumi gulped nervously. Scar was even bigger and bulkier than Bulat, which Tatsumi didn't think could be possible. Towering over Tatsumi, Scar moved towards the door and pointed at it.

"Well then, show me what a little kid like you can pull off."

Everything had gone according to plan. The target was heading directly to where Tatsumi and Mine wanted him to be. Tatsumi lead Scar carefully through the back door he had entered from and walked a full minute before reaching a small courtyard behind one of the buildings. Mine stood ready there, the Pumpkin and Adayusu at her side, and Scar seemed confused as he saw her.

"Hey, who's the girl?"

Not needing to answer, Tatsumi rushed up to Mine and grabbed the Adayusu from her, and charged towards Scar. In the blink of an eye, Tatsumi slashed down with his massive scythe in hopes of ending his quickly.

But that didn't happen.

Just before Adayusu could strike Scar, the bulky man grabbed Tatsumi's left arm and punched him in the stomach, sending Tatsumi rolling backwards. With a pained look on his face, Tatsumi gasped out desperately for air, but Scar looked like he was having a blast.

"Oh, I get it. You two punks have come to try and take me down, huh?"

"It'll be over less painfully if you stand still, Scar." Mine warned.

"Haha! You think just because you both have Imperial Arms, you can hurt me? Interesting! Come on then, kill me if you can!"

Tatsumi growled and attacked again, swinging the heavy scythe around, missing Scar every time.

"Geez, for someone so big, you move around pretty fast." Mine commented, unable to help Tatsumi kill Scar quickly.

Catching his breath, Tatsumi ducked down and tried to cut down Scar's legs, but Scar simply jumped over the Adayusu and punched Tatsumi again, in the face this time. Tatsumi started stumbling around, his head becoming dizzy. Scar's punches were heavy and had plenty of force around them, it wasn't something that you could not be fazed by. The Adayusu did a good job of keeping Scar at a safe distance away, but Tatsumi couldn't swing it fast enough to land a hit on him.

Tatsumi and Scar exchanged blow for blow, and after receiving a couple more punches, Tatsumi fell down onto one knee. Scar's massive figure loomed over him and he had a delighted grin on his face.

"You're nothing but garbage. I thought an Imperial Arm user could pull off more than _that."_ He chuckled, cracking his knuckles and turning his head towards the observing Mine. "You want a turn now, little girl?"

Mine said nothing and simply glared at Tatsumi. It only took a few minutes for Tatsumi to see that glare and realize that he was, once again, being an absolute disappointment. He had joined an assassination group, full of professionals, yet he couldn't kill a simple man.

"My turn…isn't done yet." Tatsumi muttered, standing back on his feet and regaining his balance. His voice was deep and threatening.

"Heh, guess I gotta tear you apart before you'll stand aside, huh?" Scar laughed back.

In an instant, Tatsumi darted towards and slashed at Scar with all of his might, and just moments after a deep, bloody cut appeared on Scar's right shoulder. Tatsumi had moved far too quick and it took some time for Scar to register the hit, but when he did he growled furiously. The young boy had found his second wind, which irritated Scar immensely. With a raised fist, he attempted to punch Tatsumi into tiny pieces.

Scar's first punch had collided with Tatsumi's stomach, but he was able to dodge the second one and counter attack, craving another wound into Scar's left leg. It was helpful that Scar couldn't attack from a long distance, and since the Adayusu could increase its own length, Tatsumi was able to land more successful hits from a few steps away. He hadn't properly gained a complete understanding on how to make the Adayusu longer in size, but he was gradually getting the hand of it. As Scar tried to kick Tatsumi in the face, Tatsumi ducked under the kick and threw Adayusu forward, retaining his hold on it by grabbing onto the scythe's black chain. Scar gasped and hissed as blood began to gush out of his stomach. With that attack alone, Tatsumi had expected Scar to fall over and die, but it wasn't enough. Instead, Scar looked even more enraged than before, and he grabbed Tatsumi by the neck and tossed him away as though he was as light as paper. It didn't cause Tatsumi to even flinch, however, and the moment his feet reached the ground he dashed right back into the fight.

There was no doubt that Scar was stronger and more experienced, but having an Imperial Arm made Tatsumi difficult to defeat. No alarms had been raised yet, which meant that Mine couldn't risk helping out yet, so the fight was solely focused on the two of them. For every slash that Tatsumi successfully landed, Scar would smash his fists into his skinny body. After several blows, both of them were tired and panting heavily, sweat dripping down their faces.

If Scar really wanted to, he could've run off in the middle of the fight and called for reinforcements, but he chose not to. This skinny, little kid was proving himself to be an interesting and fun opponent, and Scar wanted to be the one to kill the ambitious child.

Tatsumi threw the Adayusu once again but missed as Scar stood to the side and grabbed the Imperial Arm himself. The moment the black and red scythe slipped out of Tatsumi's hands he felt his heart stop, and Scar chuckled happily as he held it by its handle. At that very second, Tatsumi had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to lose, everything had been lost.

That was until Scar suddenly fell to his knees and quickly tossed the Adayusu to the side, gasping weekly and feebly for air. In the matter of a few seconds, Scar looked as though every ounce of energy had been drained out of him and left him lifelessly. He coughed, wheezed, and struggled slowly back to his feet. And Tatsumi was left wondering what had just happened.

"T-The hell…?" Scar croaked.

A giggle came from behind Tatsumi, and as he turned around, he saw a knowing smile on Mine's face.

"You amateur." Mine laughed at Scar. "Don't you know what happens when you touch an Imperial Arm you aren't compatible with? It sucks out all of your life and can even kill you."

"W-Why you little…!"

Tatsumi didn't give Scar enough time to finish that sentence directed to Mine. He had finally found his window of opportunity, and he wasn't about to let it slip by. Grabbing Adayusu off of the ground, Tatsumi held its handle with both of his hands and swung mercilessly at the weakened Scar. Blood spewed and showered over him as he cut open deep wounds all around the bulky man, ignoring the pain of his own injuries. Scar's blood felt warm on Tatsumi's face.

"You fucking dog!" Scar screeched as he threw the best punch he could manage in his bleeding state, but it wasn't enough.

" _Graaaaaah!"_

Tatsumi's roar echoed across the entire alleyway they were in as he rocketed forward with all of his strength and dug his scythe right into Scar's chest and tore out several bloody chunks of his insides.

Scar's corpse dropped to the ground and his head rolled. A small pool of his blood surrounding Tatsumi's feet. Tatsumi's eyes were wide open and he had a dazed stare, as though just standing there like a puppet. Just fighting such a man had taken everything he had got, and he was so exhausted that he didn't even notice the sirens going off.

People had realized that Scar had disappeared and set off the alarms. They blared in every direction but only Mine could hear them, Tatsumi was still simply standing there, soaked in blood. Knowing that he wasn't going to snap out of it any time soon, Mine rushed to his side and grabbed both him and Adayusu and began to run.

Soldiers began pouring in from every direction, filling the alleyways and streets with weapons in hand. Their captain had disappeared and now they all hungered for bloodshed. It was difficult to pass by them with their sheer number, not to mention how Tatsumi was still mentally recovering, but eventually Mine drove the two of them to the backstreets and averted the patrols surrounding most of the Capital.

Tatsumi blinked a few times and snapped out of his daze. He saw that both him and Mine were crouched behind a couple of barrels. Instinctively, he opened his mouth to talk to Mine, but she immediately signalled to him to be silent, and as Tatsumi noticed a patrol passing right by them he realized why. No one was taking Scar's disappearance lightly. They waited and waited in the darkness, hoping that the patrols would eventually pass by, and once they did both of them were able to breathe normally again.

A massive search had arisen inside the Capital, but with Mine's keen instincts, they stuck to the suburbs and back alleys and avoided any and all contact with the soldiers. Things had escalated to the point where soldiers were shouting at normal civilians and accusing them of being a part of Scar's disappearance, and Tatsumi frowned as he watched two young, innocent men get dragged away and arrested on the spot.

"Why are they doing that?" Tatsumi found himself asking in a whisper, peeking his head over a crater. "They didn't do anything."

"Doesn't matter." Mine said. "Those soldiers know that they'll be executed if they don't find the people who caused Scar to go 'missing', they're desperate for arrests right now."

"It's not right. They didn't have anything to do with that, we were the ones they should be searching for."

"So that _we_ can get arrested and executed? I prefer it this way."

"How can you just say that?"

As the two of them hid behind another crater and watched more soldiers unknowingly pass their location, Mine almost raised her voice loud enough for someone to hear them.

"I say that because I want to survive. No matter what happens or what comes my way, I have to survive, you got that? My ideals are the way they are because I'm an assassin, and that's not going to change."

"But it seems so cold-blooded."

As both Tatsumi and Mine slipped past the last group of guards and escaped through the unguarded gates, Mine looked at Tatsumi with an expression full of sorrow.

"You're an assassin too. Like it or not, you'll become cold-blooded as well."


	11. No 10: Kill The Intruders

**Chapter ahoy, chapter ahoy!**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

 **Feedback is always welcome~! C:**

* * *

Tatsumi received an unexpectedly warm welcome when he returned back to Night Raid's headquarters.

It took a caravan ride and two nights of agony being on the road with the irritating Mine, but when they finally reached the rest of Night Raid, it all seemed worth it.

They entered through the front doors and saw Najenda sitting on her throne-like chair at the end of the hall. She had a cigarette in her mouth and a pleased expression on her face when she spotted Mine and Tatsumi.

"Well?" She asked as she got slowly out of her chair. "Is Ogre dead?"

"Yeah, that walking pile of muscles won't be a bother anymore." Mine answered faster than Tatsumi could.

The sounds of quick footsteps echoed from Tatsumi's right and two people came striding down the stairs. Akame and Bulat came over and entered the Great Hall as well. The moment Bulat saw Tatsumi, he darted over to him and patted him incredibly hard on the back, to the point where Tatsumi almost yelped.

"Nice work! I knew you had it in you, little brother." Bulat chuckled while placing his hand on his hips. It was early morning but somehow his hair was still curled and brushed into the most flamboyant and flashy way possible.

"Little…brother…?" Tatsumi repeated back slowly, not expecting to be called by a name like that.

His confusion was left unanswered as Najenda walked over to Tatsumi and held out her hand for him to shake.

It still seemed strange for Tatsumi to have a handshake with a mechanical arm, but he attempted to act as natural about it as possible in the fear of seeming rude to the leader of Night Raid.

Najenda ended the handshake and took her cigarette out of her mouth and tossed it to the side.

"Bulat's right, you've done an incredible job, Tatsumi."

"Me? But he was just one guy."

"Doesn't matter." Akame interrupted. Tatsumi glanced towards her and saw that her emotionless expression hadn't change the least since he left for the mission. "Ogre was feared by many in the Capital for his raw strength, you did well for a non-Imperial Arm user."

That caused Tatsumi to remember just exactly why they were congratulating him the way they were, it was because they didn't expect a nobody like him to pull off such a feat. He had only a partial compatibility with an Imperial Arm and he wasn't even close to being a trained professional like the others. While being congratulated by them was nice, just the fact that he was still the weakest and most feeble out of the entire group ate away at him without any mercy.

"That's not important…" Tatsumi whispered to everyone, his head lowered and his voice cracked. "I'm still weak."

A hand landed on Tatsumi's shoulder. He looked up expecting it to be Bulat's hand, but instead it was Akame's.

And she finally had a smile on her face. It took Tatsumi by complete surprise. It was a calm and innocent smile, but it felt like he had never seen one exactly like it. Akame spoke softly to Tatsumi.

"You survived. That is what is important. If you survive, you're the strongest. None of the other facts matter."

As Mine gave a full report to Najenda in private, the rest of the group headed back to their bedrooms.

Those words said by Akame struck Tatsumi far stronger than he had thought. He entered his small bedroom and sat restlessly on his bed, repeating those words over and over in his head. No matter what the circumstances were, if he survived a mission given by Nigh Raid, he was strong in his own way. It frightened him to think that he could die at any moment, but at the same time it kept him constantly alert and motivated to do everything to the best of his ability. He wasn't strong right now, but if he kept surviving that fact would change.

And Tatsumi knew that to keep surviving like he had done with his battle against Ogre, he was going to need some training.

His first instinct was to ask Akame, as he had already seen how ridiculously skilled she was, but he felt anxious doing something like that. Seeing her smile made him feel more comfortable about her, but he still didn't feel as though it was right to ask her to train him.

Knowing that it was already morning and there wasn't much point in sleeping, Tatsumi got off the bed and left his bedroom, walking aimlessly down the hall.

Bulat was at the other end of the hallway, wearing a simple, white shirt instead of his bulky, green armour. It was distracting to Tatsumi, as the small shirt made Bulat's countless muscle pulsate clearly out for him to see. Bulat had a hairbrush in his hand, using it to constantly attend to his hair, but he put it away as his eyes landed on Tatsumi.

"Hey, little brother." He spoke, speaking to Tatsumi as though they were already close friends. It felt strange to Tatsumi. "What are you doing? You should rest after all you've done."

There was no doubt or hesitation within Tatsumi anymore. He needed someone to teach him how to be strong like the rest of Night Raid were. Tatsumi took in a deep breath before responding.

"Bulat…could you train me?"

Bulat showed signs of being surprised, but Tatsumi couldn't tell if the expression on his face was shock or pleased.

"You want me to train you?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, sure. I don't mind showing you the ropes. When do you want to start?"

"Can we start now?"

Bulat chuckled and patted Tatsumi on the head, his pleased grin now fully visible.

"Just raring to go, aren't you? That's great!" He cheered, placing his right arm around Tatsumi and unintentionally pressing his muscles incredibly forcefully against his friend. "We've got a training ground outside, let's go!"

Tatsumi almost found himself laughing in delight. Bulat was intimidating because of his sheer size, but he was extremely friendly towards Tatsumi and seemed like he was constantly filled to the brim with energy. They rushed downstairs and outside together and Bulat grinned as they stood on the soft sand of the outside and felt the sun's heat beam down on them.

"Alright, Tatsumi." Bulat started, somehow looking even more excited than Tatsumi was about the training session. "First, I'll teach you how to properly strike with a weapon."

That confused Tatsumi immensely. He had been trained by an old veteran back in his village since he was a young child, he knew exactly how to hold a weapon. Bulat saw Tatsumi's perplexed look and chuckled, then grabbed a long, wooden staff and handed it to Tatsumi while keeping one for himself. They stood opposite each other, but Bulat was planning on having a sparring session with Tatsumi just yet. Instead, he held out his wooden staff and swung it a few times as a demonstration to Tatsumi.

"See how I'm swinging it?" Bulat asked as he swung a couple more times in the air, the sheer force of his swings enough to push a heavy amount of wind to clash against Tatsumi, thought Tatsumi tried his best not to fall from the wind. "Try swinging like me."

Tatsumi nodded and watched as Bulat quickly stopped to watch what he would do. With a deep breath, Tatsumi lifted up the wooden staff and swung it as hard as he could, thinking that he was doing well. However, as he turned his head to look at the observing Bulat, he stopped as he saw Bulat shake his head.

"No, no. It's all wrong, Tatsumi."

"Wha-?" Tatsumi seemingly protested, having no idea what he was doing wrong with his swings. "What's wrong? I swung it pretty hard, didn't I?"

"The strength behind the swing of a weapon isn't the only essential, you know."

"Then what am I missing?"

"It's not about what you're missing, it's about what you're _overdoing._ " Bulat explained, moving over to Tatsumi and holding his hands while they both held the wooden staff. Tatsumi looked down and watched as Bulat held onto the staff in a completely different way that he was. "The problem is that you move unnecessarily."

"I have unnecessary movement?"

"That's right. You move parts of your muscles that aren't even required."

"Is that bad?"

"Very bad. Because of that, you move much slower than usual and you're going to tire yourself out _way_ faster."

Tatsumi nodded understandingly and watched as Bulat stepped back to watch him do it again. Mimicking the same way that Bulat had his hands positioned on the staff, Tatsumi swung it again and again, trying to limit his movements but still have force within them.

Bulat shook his head at Tatsumi's display and folded his arms.

"Again!" He roared and that's exactly what Tatsumi did.

Again and again, with sweat gradually started to drip down his face, Tatsumi swung the staff. It went on for a seemingly endless amount of time, but each time Bulat would seem slightly more happy with the way that Tatsumi was moving.

They continued for several hours, with Bulat constantly giving out more tips and suggestions for how Tatsumi should've moved. It was surprising to Tatsumi just how much time they were spending on just learning how to swing normally, but he didn't question Bulat even once about it. Bulat was a trained and experienced assassin, Tatsumi knew that this training would have to benefit him one way or another. As time went on, Bulat would switch out whatever Tatsumi would be swinging and give him something more difficult to work with. First a wooden staff, then a staff with a jagged rock at the end, and finally a massive, steel sword. The first two staffs were easy for Tatsumi and eventually Bulat told him that he was getting better at using them, but the steel sword was impossible for Tatsumi. It was simply too heavy and he couldn't swing it the way Bulat wanted him to.

By the end of it, Tatsumi was completely drenched in sweat to the point where his clothes felt wet and soggy, sticking unpleasantly to his skin. Bulat hadn't broken a sweat even though he had been exercising twice as much when demonstrating different movements. Finally, Tatsumi dropped the steel sword onto the ground and panted heavily, his arms feeling so worn out that they felt like rubber.

"Phew," Bulat laughed, putting down his training weapon too. He walked over to Tatsumi and they both put the training equipment from where they found it. Bulat smiled as he gave Tatsumi a pat on the head. "You did well, little brother."

"Thanks…" Tatsumi muttered back, still trying to catch his breath and stand up properly, they had been training for so long that it was almost afternoon already. "Can we take a break."

"Sure thing."

As they were going to leave the training ground and re-enter the building, the door slowly opened up and someone stepped outside. Green hair pointing in different directions, shaggy and scrappy clothes hanging off him, and red goggles practically taped to his forehead. It was Lubbock, and it looked like he had just woken up. He glanced at both Bulat and Tatsumi, looking as though they had run a marathon, and raised an eyebrow.

"You guys been training?" Lubbock asked, the silver Imperial Arm attached to his gloves glimmering and reflecting the sunlight.

Tatsumi noticed the Imperial Arm and frowned. It seemed strange to him that Lubbock always had his Imperial Arm right with him. None of the other Night Raid members constantly kept their weapons by their sides, so Tatsumi wondered why Lubbock was the odd one out in that regard.

"Yes, I thought it would be a good idea to train Tatsumi, he lacks experience and we need to toughen him up." Bulat chuckled as an answer, patting Tatsumi on the back a second time

"How long have you been going?"

"Since morning."

"You never trained with me, Bulat. You found a favourite or something?" Lubbock remarked, having a grin on his face to show that he was only joking around.

"Actually, I've offered to train with you a dozen times, you've always turned me down."

Lubbock widened his eyes and looked sceptical, causing Tatsumi to almost laugh. Not even Lubbock himself remembered that he never chose to train.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

"Eh, it's not that important anyway." Lubbock dismissed casually, looking at his fingernails as though not caring at all. "I don't need training."

"Why not?" Tatsumi suddenly blurted out. He hadn't been a proper part of the conversation, but he had instinctively joined in anyway.

"Because," Lubbock cackled, grinning proudly as he pointed to the Imperial Arm latched onto his gloves. "My Imperial Arm doesn't require physical strength, all it needs is a creative mind."

Bulat turned to Tatsumi and rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Bulat said. "Why'd you come out here?"

"Najenda and everyone else is waiting in the hall, she wants to have a talk or something."

"Right."

Lubbock, Bulat, and Tatsumi entered the building together and moved quickly into the Great Hall. Najenda was no longer sitting like she usually was, and the rest of Night Raid were circled around her.

"Ah, there you three are." Najenda said. "Good. I need everyone here."

Bulat frowned. "What's going on? You don't usually gather everyone together like this unless something's off."

"Well, that's because something has come up that I need to tell you all."

Everyone listened silently and hung onto every word from Najenda. Both Tatsumi and Bulat looked concerned, but everyone else had an emotionless and unfazed expression on their face.

"I went for a stroll around these hilltops just an hour ago. "Najenda whispered, closing her eyes as she recalled a terrible memory. "I found a bleeding man lying on the riverside underneath our building."

"Part of the Revolutionary Army?" Sheele inquired, and Najenda nodded her head in response.

"Yes. I had sent a raven to one of their headquarters in the southern regions of the kingdom, asking if we have any new intel on the inside of the Capital. More than anything, we need to know what the Capital is doing to fight back against us. That bleeding man near our camp brought a file with information in it, but was attacked by a group of trained killers before he reached us. He died trying to bring us that file."

Simply hearing that made Tatsumi sick to his stomach. And as he looked around, he watched as both Leone and Sheele lowered their heads and whisper something together. Tatsumi hadn't heard the words properly, but from the tone it sounded remorseful.

"I just read through a few moments ago." Najenda continued. "Not only are they gathering up as many Imperial Arms as possible, but they've also seen the return of their most powerful General."

"You don't mean-" Mine gasped, looking pale and sickly.

Najenda nodded. "That's right. General Esdeath has returned to the Capital and has been tasked with eliminating the entire Revolutionary Army."

Tatsumi instinctively raised his hand as though a student who wanted a question answered. Najenda glanced at Tatsumi and seemed confused by his action, but paid attention none the less.

"Yes, Tatsumi?"

"I'm sorry," Tatsumi muttered timidly. "I just have two questions. First, how do we know this? And second, just who is 'Esdeath'?"

Najenda shook her head. "Not a problem. I suppose I should've explained more to you before telling all of this information."

"I'll explain." Akame said, turning to Tatsumi. "We have many allies inside of the Capital. We gain our information from what they can relay to us."

"If we have a lot of allies in the Capital, why not just ask them to eliminate our targets?" Tatsumi asked.

Mine sighed. "It's not like that, dimwit. When we say 'allies', we mean ordinary villagers who are willing to risk their safety in order to secretly tell us what goes on in the Capital. They're no fighters."

"Indeed." Akame continued. "Villagers are being killed and exploited every day, and some have become so sick of it that they're willing to put their lives on the line for someone to end it."

"And…who's Esdeath."

Bulat glared at Tatsumi. "If 'evil' could take a physical manifestation, it wouldn't be all that different from Esdeath."

"S-Seriously?"

"Now, now." Leone interrupted, waving her index finger in front of Bulat. "Let's not exaggerate. Tatsumi, she's just a really, _really_ strong Imperial Arm user and someone we don't want to fight."

"Just how strong is she?"

"I doubt we would win even if we all attacked her at the same time." Najenda answered.

Just the thought of that was absurd to Tatsumi. Night Raid was a team of highly skilled assassins, but there was someone out there who could defeat them all? He couldn't begin to fathom what kind of person Esdeath was, but he wasn't exactly too keen on meeting her either. What Bulat said about her was enough to cause Tatsumi to shiver just from the name.

"Well," Najenda sighed. "There's one last thing I need to inform you all about."

"What is it?" asked Mine.

"Remember what I said about the messenger? He was attacked by formidable foes on his way here, he was the only survivor out of a dozen men who were traveling this way. The people who attacked him are two new subordinates of Esdeath."

"Esdeath has subordinates now?" asked Leone, sounding incredibly frustrated by the news.

"Yes. They're simply known as the Twins. While we know that the Capital has already been collected all the Imperial Arms they can to fight back, the Twins are Imperial Arm users that work and serve Esdeath personally. We don't know what their Imperial Arms are, but we mustn't underestimate them. According to the last page written in the file we received, the Twins are directed their next attack towards a Rebel camp located on Mountain Fake. We need to prevent that attack, losing more soldiers is not an option."

"Will Esdeath be there with the Twins…?" asked Tatsumi, desperately hoping that the answer would be a 'no'.

"There's no way of telling. Esdeath might've sent the Twins to accomplish this by themselves, or she might've chosen to be part of the attack too. I'll try to get more spies to look further into the matter before we act. I just thought that you should all know about this now."

Leone grinned. "Thanks, boss."

"For now," Najenda muttered, a calm smile finally finding a way onto her face. "Just train and prepare yourselves for your next mission. It may come at any time."

Tatsumi nodded his head and clenched his hands into fists, feeling pumped up and ready to train even more.

"Right!"

* * *

Wave woke up in cold sweat.

He must have had a bad dream. He couldn't remember it at all, but he was certain that it was a nightmare of sorts.

Being part of the Jaegers must have been putting him on edge, he'd been having unpleasant dreams consistently now. Wave checked the watch on the desk in his bedroom, it was almost afternoon and he knew that he needed to get out of bed before someone shouted at him.

He gazed at his bedroom as he stood up, he still couldn't believe just how glamorous it was. There were decorations made of silver on the table beside him, a gold-plated mirror, and marble flooring. It was far different from the life he had in the small rural area he lived in with his mother. At first, he felt like a king and it was a delight, but he didn't find at all that interesting anymore.

He left the bedroom and entered the conference room, which had now been completely occupied as the room for all the Jaegers. Only members could enter and it usually had everyone inside, but Wave didn't see anyone except for Run, who was sitting peacefully on a chair. He was holding a book as always, but this time he seemed more into it than usual.

"Morning," Run muttered, failing to break his gaze from his book. "You're up late."

Wave frowned. "Where is everyone?"

"Esdeath had them all go run some errands. I suspect she'll have plenty of them for you too later."

"What about you?"

"I already received mine, and I've finished it."

"Man," Wave chuckled. "You must have a really good Imperial Arm."

"Not really. I just know how to get stuff done quickly."

Wave raised an eyebrow at Run's response but said nothing. Instead, he grabbed a chair to sit down opposite of Run and glance at his book. The title is in a writing that Wave did not recognize, it must've been some from olden kind of dialect.

Wave sighed. "What are you reading?"

"History,"

"What kind of history?"

"The Era before the creation of Imperial Arms."

"Really?" asked Wave, holding out his hand for Run to hand over. "Can I see it?"

"Sure."

Wave grabbed hold of the book and skimmed through the first couple of pages, only to find each and every page filled with the same dialect that he hadn't seen before.

"Um, it's not in English."

Run laughed. "Of course not, it's a very old book."

"You can read it?"

"Yes. Did you think I've been spending all these hours reading a book I don't understand?"

"But…how do you know that old language?"

"Well, I used to be a teacher."

That was a surprise to Wave. They had been working together for about a month now, but this was the first time he was properly hearing more details about Run. In fact, now that he thought about it, he still didn't know much about _any_ of the Jaegers. He gave the book back to Run and leant back in his chair.

"So, how old is that language?"

Run made a face. "That's…difficult to say. All we know is that it has to be at least two thousand years old. It was the language our entire country used before we adopted the common tongue."

"Damn," said Wave. "How'd a teacher like you turn up into the Capital's army?"

Run opened his mouth to answer, but they were both interrupted as Kurome entered the conference room. As always, she was eating one of her trademark snacks and her emotionless glare sent off the same quite of unsettling vibe that Wave had found himself gradually becoming used to. He wanted to greet her, but she talked first.

"You," Kurome said as she pointed at Wave. "Esdeath called for you, hurry."

Wave had no time to ask anything. He leapt out of his chair and immediately left the room. This was the first time he had been personally called by General Esdeath, all of the other Jaegers had talked privately with her except for him, and he wanted to do his best to make a good impression. As a new recruit in the Capital's army, gaining the favour of a General seemed like the best move any soldier could pull off.

He crossed through the long hallways and reached the door to Esdeath's quarters. There were no decorations on her door, it didn't stand out from any of the other countless doors within the palace, and unlike most other rooms for important people, there weren't any soldiers guarding it from the outside. Either Esdeath didn't believe that she could be attacked…or she was welcoming any kind of threats to her quarters.

Wave knocked on the door.

"No need for knocking," a faint voice from inside the room said. "Come in."

Wave obeyed and entered the room to see Esdeath sitting at her desk, with one foot on the table and another crossed over it. She hadn't changed out of her General's white attire even once, Wave had never seen her wearing anything else.

"Wave," she said. "I've been wanting to see you."

"I heard. What is it, ma'am?"

"Tell me, how much do you know about your Imperial Arm?"

"Me?" asked Wave, looking to the black sword held by his side. "I think I know all about it."

"Good." Esdeath smiled. "Then answer my questions. First, does your Imperial Arm possess a trump card?"

It had only been a few days ago since Wave actually found out what a trump card was. Apparently, it was a special ability that could be unlocked by those who were fully compatible with their Imperial Arm, but always had a hefty cost following it, usually the cost being the user's actual life.

"No," Wave shook his head. "Grand Chariot's key has nothing of the sort."

"Okay then. Next, do you know how your Imperial Arm was created?"

"I can't say I do."

Esdeath nodded, as though confirming something for herself. She reached into the built-in drawer of her desk and pulled out a large, black book with no title on the front. The pages of the book were slightly burnt and had taken an orange tint.

"Know what this is?" she asked.

"No, ma'am."

"Then allow me to explain." Esdeath said, and placed the book down onto the desk for both of them to read. "This book had collected in a hidden tomb by a group of our scribes."

"Hidden? Where?"

"Under a mountain, if you can believe it. I've been going through it all day…and one thing stood out to me more than anything else."

Esdeath opened the book for Wave and skimmed through it until she reached a certain page, then showed it. Wave couldn't read the tiny, strange looking writings in the book, but the drawings on the page was as clear as day. It was an armour-based Imperial Arm, just like the Grand Chariot's armour, but looked bulkier and had a spear in its possession that Wave had never seen before.

"I-Is this…?" Wave stuttered.

"That's right. Our translators have found out that this book was used many years ago to record the development of Imperial Arms, back when only half of them had been completed."

"And there's an Imperial Arm that also turns into armour?"

"You didn't know about this?"

"No, ma'am. This is the first time I'm hearing this."

Esdeath sighed and placed the book back where it came from. She stood up and they walked together out of the quarters and through the corridors. Wave noticed just how much taller she was than him, it bothered him.

"Either way," Esdeath continued, leading the way. "This is an important discovery. We don't know where this Imperial Arm is, but we know that it's similar to yours, so you must be vigilant, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." said Wave in the most polite way possible. "And if I may ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"Did the book contain any other information we didn't know about?"

Esdeath grinned. "Indeed it did. We discovered plenty more Imperial Arms that supposedly exist out there. We've sent our most experienced men to find them, but that could take several weeks."

"To think that there are so many Imperial Arms…" Wave grumbled. "It kind of makes your head spin."

"But it's just so exciting, isn't it?"

Wave glanced at Esdeath and remembered a question he had wanted to ask her since the first time he saw her. This seemed the most appropriate time to ask.

"By the way, what is your Imperial Arm, General Esdeath?"

Esdeath laughed. "You don't know? The entire Capital knows it. Oh…but you're not from the Capital are you?"

"No, ma'am."

Esdeath stopped walking and Wave did the same. There were plenty of things that Wave expected to see. Perhaps a massive axe, or a terrifying pair of swords, or the rapier that Esdeath always had by her side. Instead, what he saw, was completely different than all of those things.

Esdeath pointed at her chest and the black symbol tainted on it.

"This," She giggled, her piercing, blue eyes meeting Wave's. "is my Imperial Arm."

"The tattoo?"

"Yes. Are you surprised?"

"Well…I mean…I just assumed that it was a normal tattoo."

"No, it's a marking of my ability."

"Then…" Wave muttered as he pointed timidly at Esdeath's rapier. "What's that?"

"Oh, that?" she said. "That's just a normal sword. I've just grown quite attached to it."

"So, what ability do you have?"

Esdeath shook her head and laughed.

"I'll show you on our next mission."

That caused disappointment to Wave but he didn't dare speak against Esdeath. He wondered how such a marking found its way onto a woman's chest, and what it could actually give to those who possessed it. For once, Wave was looking forward to a mission given to the Jaegers.

"When is our next mission?" he asked.

"Right now, actually."

"S-Seriously?"

"Yes. The rest of the Jaegers shall be here in less than four minutes. I sent them on simple tasks for our preparation."

"Preparation for what?"

"An attack on the townsfolk, of course." Esdeath stated as casually as possible.

"The townsfolk are going to be attacked?!"

"We believe so. People intercepted a group of rebels around the Capital and 'extracted' information from them. Apparently, they want to launch an attack inside our walls to intimidate us."

Wave shook away his shock and fear. He would have to worry later, now he had to focus on fighting the criminals and murderers about to attack the innocent people of the Capital. He unsheathed the Grand Chariot's key and stabbed it into the ground, summoning the Grand Chariot's armour to cover his entire body. Esdeath simply stood there and watched him transform, then pointed at the exit with a grin.

"Shall we be on our way?" she asked.

"Yeah." Wave whispered from inside his armour, already feeling like a God with his Imperial Arm's power released.

"Good. Also, you'll be fighting alongside my two, new subordinates. Try to get along, will you?"

The door to the exit opened slowly and two people stepped out.

Wave had never seen the two people before, but their aura was enough to send chills up his spine. The Imperial Arm they possessed looked completely unearthly and Wave gasped at their presence. He was going to fight alongside the strange, new pair.

The Twins.


	12. No 11: Kill The Reckless

**Next chaaaaaapter~!**

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* * *

"Lift it, Tatsumi. You can do it."

Tatsumi growled in frustration as the block on the sand wouldn't budge from its place. He had been trying to lift it up for several hours now, digging his fingers into it until it hurt, but the black block simply wouldn't move.

"I can't, Bulat…" Tatsumi muttered, lowering his head and catching his breath.

"Alright. We'll try again tomorrow."

Both Tatsumi and Bulat put their shirts back on and stepped into the Great Hall, where Sheele and Najenda were standing, and Tatsumi immediately noticed the worried expression on Najenda's face.

"Ah, Bulat." Najenda said as she noticed him enter the room. "I was just looking for you."

"What is it?"

"It seems that two groups of the Revolutionary Army have been sent to attack the Capital's walls."

 _"_ _What?!"_ Bulat roared, veins pulsating out of his muscles and a powerful aura emitting from him.

"What's wrong?" Tatsumi spoke up, looking at both Najenda and Bulat. "Aren't we supposed to attack the Capital?"

"Not like _this._ " Bulat hissed back, trying to hold his anger back in front of Tatsumi but ultimately failing. "Attacking the Capital head on like that is suicide."

"I agree." said Najenda. "And I would march right back to where the Army is stationed and ask the meaning of this, but there's no point now. They've already sent their men, and they _will_ die."

"Then send us out." Bulat suggested, calming himself. "We will handle it."

"You want me to send out Night Raid to help out on a suicide mission that we're not even a part of?!" Najenda growled back with an ominous look in her eyes.

"We won't help them with their mission. I'm aware that attacking the Capital directly is suicide, but we can reach the groups that plan on attacking and pull them back."

"You think they'll listen to you? They're eager to fight even if they'll lose."

"I'll _make_ them listen. I'll beat every last one of them to a pulp if it stops them from trying to throw away their lives."

Silence fell between both Najenda and Bulat. They both were anxious and on the edge, but they had different ideas on how to act when faced with a situation like this one.

"If I may," Sheele said quietly. "I also agree with Najenda, they chose to make a rash decision and attack with little to no power, but we shouldn't risk our lives because of their mistake."

Bulat didn't say anything in response to that, but he felt deep down that she had a point. Instead, he glanced at Tatsumi with a serious expression and muttered.

"What do you think, Tatsumi?"

"M-Me?" Tatsumi asked, feeling as though he had suddenly been put on the spot.

"Yes, you."

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're a part of Night Raid as well."

"Well, I can understand why a couple of our soldiers would try to attack the Capital without thinking. The Capital is a horrible place where people just suffer, but as part of the Revolutionary Army, we need to talk some sense into them…right?"

Bulat nodded and looked back at Najenda, but Najenda's firm glare hadn't been dropped.

"The rest of Night Raid are away, scouting the area around our headquarters for potential intruders, so there's only three of you here anyway." Najenda grumbled as she looked at Sheele, Bulat, and Tatsumi individually.

"The three of us will be enough." Bulat said. "We'll just convince the soldiers to turn around and abandon their mission."

"Inside the Capital's walls, that is." Najenda noted.

"Just trust me on this, we'll be fine."

Najenda didn't speak for the longest time, and when she finally did, it will full of sorrow and worry.

"Fine. But promise me nothing will happen to the three of you."

"I promise."

With that, Bulat turned away and headed upstairs to put his green armour on. Sheele nodded obediently and went off to grab the Extase. During that time, Tatsumi stood there, staring at Najenda.

"Tatsumi." Najenda muttered, pulling out a cigarette from her pocket. "Please, do your best not to die. There's no telling what can happen when entering the Capital's walls. The last thing I need is explaining to the rest of Night Raid why the three of you are dead when they return.

"I'll do what I can." said Tatsumi.

When both Sheele and Bulat came back downstairs, they headed out together.

They trekked their way through the mountains and down into the forest below. Bulat and Sheele had to move slower than usual so that Tatsumi could keep up with them, but neither of them complained about it. More than anything, Tatsumi had been hoping that the rest of Night Raid could've come with them for the next mission. It felt not so long ago that Tatsumi was eager to head straight into the Capital, but now that thought alone made him shiver.

When the tallest building in the Capital was finally visible over the horizon, Tatsumi knew that they were closing in.

It had taken them several hours and Tatsumi had been out of breath for a while, but he forced himself to keep moving as far as he could. Bulat noticed this and nodded at Sheele, then the both of them slowed down together until they reached a stop.

"W-Why…did you guys…stop…?" Tatsumi panted, trying to mask up his exhaustion as much as possible.

"Don't worry, Tatsumi." said Sheele. "We can stop until you catch your breath."

"No…we can't…there's no time…"

Bulat shook his head. "I don't see any smoke which means that they haven't started their attack yet. We need you to be ready in case we need to fight, so take a couple of minutes to get some air back into your lungs."

Tatsumi knew that what they were saying was right. If he leapt into the thickness of battle in the state that he was now, he would be killed in moments and just hold Bulat and Sheele back. As embarrassing as it was for him, Tatsumi nodded and sat down, panting heavily and waiting until he could breathe normally again. He had never ran for so long in his life, and having his scythe Imperial Arm strapped to his back didn't help either. The Adayusu was an incredibly powerful scythe and Tatsumi felt more comfortable when having it with him, but it was unbelievably heavy.

Once Tatsumi could run again, they immediately began moving.

"Remember, Tatsumi." said Sheele as she ran beside him. "Our objective is to stop the attack on the Capital, so try avoiding combat as much as possible."

Bulat, who was at the front, nodded. "If things go smoothly, we won't need to fight at all."

However, right after Bulat had said that, an explosion erupted in the distance and smoked danced in the air. Cursing, Bulat began to run faster and Tatsumi did the same.

The three of them were too late, the attack on the Capital had already begun. They knew that the soldiers didn't stand a chance, but the soldiers hadn't thought it through and decided to attack the Capital anyway.

"Idiots," Bulat growled. "All of them."

"Calm down, Bulat." said Sheele. "We can still stop this."

It had taken them hours of running to get here, Tatsumi hoped that they didn't come all this way just to watch more soldiers meet their untimely demise.

More explosions boomed from afar but gradually they became louder and louder as they got closer to the source. The three of them reached a camp where seven soldiers were positioned and awaiting orders. Bulat rushed in and punched the first man he saw, then elbowed the next one that tried to stop him. The other soldiers got up and pointed their swords at Bulat, but that wasn't enough to stop him.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!" roared Bulat. It was a new level of volume for Tatsumi.

"We're making a direct attack on the Capital." One of the braver soldiers answered back. "If you're one of them, then you die here."

"I'm not one of the Capital's lackeys, but I know a stupid attempt at an attack when I see one. Who gave you the orders?!"

"No one. We're not listening to the idiots that run the Revolutionary Army anymore. We need to strike _now._ "

Bulat could tell that the soldiers wouldn't back down at a moment like this. They weren't following any orders, they were attacking the Capital because they felt like it. Tatsumi shook his head and looked at Bulat, waiting for a signal for their next move.

"I've heard enough." whispered Bulat. He turned his head to Sheele and Tatsumi. "Knock them out. All of them."

Sheele nodded immediately and put the Extase away, instead rushing towards the rebel soldiers and knocking them unconscious with a simple kick or punch to the head.

From the sounds of commotion, more soldiers revealed themselves out of the shadows surrounding the camp. Tatsumi knew that they didn't have any time to explain, so instead he darted over to the first soldier he saw and met them with a right hook. It took two hits, but the soldier went down and Tatsumi moved onto the next one. There was no doubt that their actions felt strange, they were beating up the soldiers on their own side, but Tatsumi knew this was the only way to prevent them from invading the Capital's walls and getting themselves killed in mere moments.

These soldiers had been trained to be better than just regular rebels, so fighting them without using the Adayusu turned out to be more of a challenge than expected. Three of them swung their swords at him at once, and while Tatsumi was able to swept his feet below them and trip them, he received a small cut on his right arm. He glanced at Bulat and watched as he grabbed two soldiers and smashed their heads together as though they were simple insects. Sheele was using powerful kicks to take out several soldiers quickly and efficiently too.

They stood around for a few moments and waited for more rebellion soldiers to appear, but they didn't. Bulat cursed again and shook his head.

"The rest of the soldiers must already be inside the Capital walls." he said. "They must've dug out a hole in one of the walls and snuck through."

"What do we do?" asked Sheele.

They were hoping to take down the soldiers before they began their attack, but many soldiers were already in the Capital, and going in there seemed like a reckless act to the three of them.

"I promised Najenda nothing would happen to us…" muttered Bulat. "And now that we know that Esdeath has two dangerous subordinates…"

Tatsumi felt discouraged that they came all this way to only stop a handful of soldiers from walking into their deaths. He clenched his hands into fists and gave both Sheele and Bulat his most determined stare.

"We can't back down now." he said. "We've come all this way and risked our own safety to save these soldiers, let's finish what we started."

Both Sheele and Bulat seemed surprised to hear Tatsumi speak out like that, but they eventually found a smile on their faces and nodded. If they stood a chance of saving more lives, they would take it.

"Alright then," said Bulat. "Let's head into the Capital and get ready to fight our way back out."

* * *

Fire had already spread across one section of the townsfolk's homes. Men and women clad in armour were storming through the entrance they had created and were killing indiscriminately.

Wave stood there, in Grand Chariot's armour, and watched at the very top of a bell tower. Beside him stood the Twins, two young females with their faces covered with masks. Wave glanced at them.

One of them had long white hair and a white fox mask, while the other had black hair and a black fox mask. They both had the same skinny, tall figures as one another and if it wasn't for their difference in masks it would've been incredibly difficult to tell them apart. They wore black robes to cover them from their shoulders to their feet, making them seem like a pair of sinister ninjas, but what surprised Wave most of all was that he didn't see either of them with an Imperial Arm. He had been told by Esdeath that the Twins were Imperial Arm users, but he had yet to see that with his own eyes.

"Are you two going to tell me your names?" asked Wave in order to break the silence between them.

The Twins stared at Wave through their masks and they both giggled in a soft, gentle manner.

"I'm Elica." The Twin with the white fox mask said.

"And I'm Relica." The Twin in the red fox mask laughed.

Wave glared back at the two of them.

It surprised him that Esdeath would trust an odd pair such as the Twins. Granted, Esdeath herself seemed a little off sometimes, but the way that Elica and Relica sounded the same and even looked the same gave Wave an unsettled vibe. The only way to tell them apart was from the colour of their masks and hair. He wasn't sure if they could even fight, he had simply taken Esdeath's word for it.

"Well, Wave." Relica whispered with her arms folded, readjusting her red mask. "You're the boss. What do we do now?"

Wave looked down at the destruction occurring and shook his head. "Protect the townsfolk. That's our top priority."

The Twins nodded obediently and leapt down from the bell tower and onto the other buildings below them.

Wave took in a deep breath and jumped off the bell tower completely, falling all the way down and landed on the ground below like a rocket. Just the force of his landing caused the ground to shake and throw multiple rebel soldiers off balance. No ordinary human would have survived such a fall, but the Grand Chariot's armour had taken the force of the fall as though it was nothing. Not even a scratch appeared on Wave's armour.

The rebel soldiers looked startled at first, but they quickly regained their composure and charged towards Wave all at once.

There wasn't even the slightest amount of hesitation in Wave's movements. He leapt forward and sent five men flying with just one punch, then moved like a blur and snapped another seven soldiers' necks off before any of them could react. Just seeing these men and women was causing Wave to fight more violently than usual. He hated the thought of people who came into the peaceful kingdom of the Capital just to slaughter innocent people living their ordinary lives.

Once Wave had dealt with the first group of soldiers, he stood readily as the next came rushing through the gates and into the streets of the townsfolk. Wave prepared himself to lung forward and take them out, but was interrupted as a figure flew through the sky and rained down feathers on the soldiers, killing every last one of them instantly.

"Run." chuckled Wave, watching the blonde-haired man land elegantly beside him. "So you made it."

Run smiled back. "I may have been a little late, but I am here now."

"I'm grateful for that."

"Lady Esdeath told me to follow your lead for now," explained Run. "What do you need me doing?"

"Where are the rest of the Jaegers?"

"They've been positioned at the front of the gates to prevent any more soldiers coming in."

"Alright." Wave nodded. "Then, for now, just support me and the Twins from the air."

"Got it." muttered Run as he used the Mastema to fly back up into the air.

The Twins landed beside Wave and darted forward to attack more soldiers.

Wave finally got to see what Elica and Relica were capable of.

Elica leapt into the air and pulled up her left sleeve, revealing a golden bracelet, and began charging up gold particles in front of her. Meanwhile, Relica stood in front of her Twin, using the same-looking bracelet to materialize a massive bow out of nothing. Wave stared in awe as Elica created a giant, golden arrow and fired it using the bow that Relica had made. Together, the Twins could use their Imperial Arms to materialize a building-sized bow and arrow.

With just one arrow, the attack soared throughout the entire street ahead of them and obliterated anyone and anything in front of it. Though it wasn't useful for avoiding collateral damage, it wiped out all of the enemies in sight with just one shot. Wave's mouth almost dropped as he realized just how powerful the Twins actually were. He shouldn't have been so surprised, considering that the Twins were the subordinates of a General, but he was still in utter shock by the sheer amount of strength that the two ladies possessed.

More enemies began to rush in, however, as more determined rebel soldiers made their way through town, killing anyone in their way.

Run was continuously firing down lethal feathers to kill them, but their numbers were a lot larger than they had anticipated. Wave moved in and punched more of them to death, despising each and every one of them.

But he paused as someone rushed over to him in a flash and threw him off balance. Wave forcefully pushed the person off and got to his feet, staring at the man who was able to take him by surprise.

And Wave almost froze with shock. It was a man in a white suit of armour that looked almost identical to the Grand Chariot's armour. The man inside the white armour turned his head back to two people behind them.

"Tatsumi, Sheele!" The armoured attacker yelled at his friends. "I'll take this guy. Get these soldiers out of here!"

The name 'Tatsumi' stuck out for Wave. Had he heard a name like that before?

"Who are you?" asked Wave. "Is that an Imperial Arm?"

"I'm Bulat." The rebel explained, standing ready for a battle. "But you can just call me handsome. And yes, this is an Imperial Arm. It's called Incursio's key."

"It looks a lot like mine."

"I was thinking the same." Bulat admitted. "I guess the people who created the Imperial Arms didn't have much creativity."

Wave chuckled. For a heartless rebel, this 'Bulat' at least had a decent sense of humour.

He was also worried though. Esdeath had informed him that there was another Imperial Arm similar to the Grand Chariot's key, but seeing it with his own eyes made him less confident than usual. He didn't know anything about Incursio's key. Was it stronger? Did it have any special abilities that Grand Chariot's key didn't? Obviously, there was only one way to find out.

"Sorry, rebel." said Wave. "But I have to put you down."

Wave darted forward and smashed his right fist into Incursio's helmet, causing Bulat to stagger backwards, but he retained his stance and punched Wave right back. The two moved back, feeling the force of their attacks, then moved in to send more barrages of attacks at one another.

There was no doubt that Bulat was stronger than Wave, however, as Wave was being constantly overpowered and thrown onto the ground. The ground gave way as Wave fell down for the fourth time, but he force himself back up and kicked Bulat as hard as he could manage.

"Not bad," Bulat chuckled, blocking three direct attacks from Wave. "You definitely have skill, and this 'Grand Chariot's armour' of yours seems to equal Incursio's armour pretty well."

"Then why…" Wave whispered out in frustration as he fell to one knee. "Why am I losing?"

"Because you're inexperienced. I can tell just by exchanging blows with you that you haven't had your Imperial Arm for long."

Wave lowered his head and got back up, throwing more punches at Bulat, causing small cracks to appear on Incursio's armour. They darted around the battlefield with incredible speed, and while Wave was able to block and counter some of Bulat's attacks, the Grand Chariot's armour was slowly breaking apart. If the rest of the Jaegers were available, Wave would've stood a much better chance, but Bulat was simply faster and stronger.

"You've got a lot of determination and fighting spirit in you." Bulat muttered as he watched Wave struggle to get off the ground. "You remind me a lot of this kid I'm training."

"That's because…I have to be strong…to get rid of filth like you rebels." Wave gasped weakly, feeling the sensation of blood dripping down his cheek.

Bulat remained silent for a few moments and shook his head, his expression full of sorrow. "You're a good kid. It's a shame your sense of justice is misplaced."

Bulat allowed Incursio's armour to disappear and slowly walked away from Wave. Their battle was over.

Wave groaned and tried to stand up, but he simply couldn't. He had only taken a few direct punches from Bulat but it seemed that was all the punishment he could take. It frustrated Wave that a rebel with a similar Imperial Arm had overpowered him, not to mention the fact that it was Wave's own fault. Wave could sense it, Incursio's armour wasn't nearly as strong as the Grand Chariot's armour, but Bulat was far more experienced and powerful than Wave, which was the deciding factor of their battle. Even with a superior Imperial Arm, Wave had lost.

He lied there on the ground, watching as more and more houses were burnt to the ground and soldiers rampaged through the streets and roads, waving their weapons in the air. Fortunately, Run swooped down next to Wave and protected him from a few soldiers heading their way, and the other Jaegers finally made their way to Wave's location. Kurome appeared out of the smoke and cut down every soldier she saw, Boros lit their wooden catapults on fire, and Seryu laughed happily as her pet Coro grew in size and devoured whoever was left.

Dr. Stylish and Run moved over to Wave and lifted him up, putting his arms over their shoulders.

Wave coughed and failed to hear what the Jaegers were saying to one another, he was bleeding from his ears now. He could still see what has happening, however, and a feeling of relief washed over him as he saw the rebels retreat in fear. He may have taken a beating, but the result was as expected, the Capital had won.

"Hopefully, that'll teach the rebels that their invasions won't make any progress." Wave hears Run mutter as Wave slowly regains his ability to hear.

"So disappointed though." Dr. Stylish whimpers sadly. "I didn't even get to test out any of my new creations."

Seryu looked frustrated. "Shouldn't we chase after them and kill the retreaters?"

Run shook his head. "No, once the Revolutionary Army sees those soldiers in their state it'll send a proper message about our strength."

But before any of the Jaegers could say anything else, something that none of them expected occurred.

The ground beneath all of them began to shake violently and uncontrollably, and Wave nearly fell over as Run and Dr. Stylish almost drop him. Even a few buildings collapsed and broke down due to the shaking of the earth. Wave looked down at his feet and gasped.

"An earthquake?" he asked.

Without any warning, the weather around them started to become cold. Wave shivered as he felt like the temperature around them had suddenly dropped, and small shards of ice rained from the sky like snowflakes.

Instinctively, Wave looked up to see where the ice particles were coming from, and he felt his heart almost stop as he saw an unearthly sight.

A massive wave of ice towered over almost the entire sky, blocking out any sunlight. It moved slowly through the air like a giant tidal wave, with Esdeath standing on top of it, watching the kingdom down below her with an amused smile. With just the flick of her wrist, the wave of ice hurdled towards the retreating soldiers and blood gushed through the sky, painting the Capital's walls in red. Wave stared with utter shock as she sent out such a powerful and massive attack without even trying.

The streets were soaked with the blood of the rebels, and once Esdeath gently landed on the ground near the Jaegers, Seryu immediately rushed up to her with a gleam in her eyes.

"Lady Esdeath…that was incredible!"

Esdeath grinned. "The weak did not stand a chance."

"But Lady Esdeath," said Run, looking slightly concerned. "We were supposed to keep a few of them alive in order to send a message."

"Don't fret, Run." Esdeath responded. "I was careful with my ice, I left a handful of them to run for their lives."

"So, that's your power?" asked Wave. "Manipulation of ice?"

"Indeed."

"You didn't need to help us." said Run. "You needn't bother yourself."

Esdeath laughed. "Oh, don't be ridiculous. I love getting into the action myself."

Wave lowered his head and thought deeply to himself. They may have won this battle against the rebels, but they were able to set a couple of houses on fire and one of them had even defeated him. It was still an embarrassment to Wave.

"Say, what happened to you?" asked Esdeath, looking at Wave's battered up body.

"Remember how you told me there was another Imperial Arm similar to Grand Chariot's key?"

"Yes?"

"I met it. The Imperial Arm is called Incursio's key, and the guy using it was way stronger than I was."

"So, it's more powerful than your Imperial Arm?"

"No," Wave shook his head. "The armour of that Imperial Arm doesn't give as much as a boost as Grand Chariot's armour does. The man _inside_ that Imperial Arm was more skilled than me."

"Hm," Esdeath hummed. "So the rebels are finding more experienced fighters for their cause. Interesting."

"I'm sorry," Wave apologized. "I failed."

"Nonsense. You're a Jaeger, part of my team, and my team does not fail. Keep training with your fellow teammates and do not fail again."

"Yes, ma'am."

Wave stared at the blue-haired woman with frozen eyes and felt his body go cold. He could tell that he was standing in the presence of someone on a completely different level, he was looking at a god. He could never even reach a level close to her strength, and just the aura coming from her was enough to let everyone know that someone with authority was beside them.

With disbelief, Wave looked at the ice crystals scattered across the town with blood glistening off them. Some rebels were still frozen in the ice, their eyes lifeless and their bodies torn into small chunks of flesh.

Wave then looked back into Esdeath's blue eyes.

Esdeath was the Revolutionary Army's reckoning.


	13. No 12: Kill The Traitors

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* * *

Akame didn't speak much.

Tatsumi walked beside her silently. It had been four days since Tatsumi entered the Capital and attempted to save the rebel soldiers that had jumped the gun and launched an early attack. Several days had passed, but it seemed like Akame was somehow still mad about it.

The two of them had been sent out by Najenda to scout the mountain behind Night Raid's camp, since it was a good area for enemies to strike from. However, they had been travelling around and searching for enemies for hours now, but Akame still hadn't spoken a single word to Tatsumi. That caused him to worry.

In the end, he decided he would have to be the one to speak first.

"Um, Akame?"

Akame didn't look at him. "Yes?"

"You're…um…not talking much."

"Really?"

"Yeah…"

"I hadn't noticed."

Then the two of them returned straight back to complete silence.

Tatsumi shook his head, this was no way for two allies to treat each other. They were going to scout the area for at least a few more hours, he couldn't bear any more silence between the two of them.

"Akame, are you mad at me?"

"Why would I be?"

"I don't know, but obviously there's something wrong."

Akame came to a halt and Tatsumi did the same. When she finally looked at him, her expression showed no emotion, but her voice sounded upset.

"You went off on a dangerous mission with Sheele and Bulat, there was a good chance you wouldn't have survived."

"We had to do it, Akame. Those soldiers were going to be killed otherwise…"

" _You_ didn't have to do it. Sheele and Bulat are used to these kinds of missions, but you aren't."

"I just want to be useful." Tatsumi admitted quietly, his head lowering.

Akame shook her head. "We're allies, Tatsumi, so I'm just letting you know this for your own good. You'll get stronger and be able to go through more risky missions, but you shouldn't rush things."

"Alright, alright. I get it."

"Good."

"But…" Tatsumi started, raising an eyebrow. "Why worry about me? We barely know anything about each other."

"All lives are precious to me."

Tatsumi paused. "R-Really?"

"Yes," Akame muttered, looking back and seeing a dumbfounded expression on his face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No…it's just that…" Tatsumi hesitated. "You're an assassin. You kill people almost every day, right?"

"That's because it's a necessity." Akame answered back with a monotone voice. "If lives have to be taken away for the sake of a better future, then it must be done."

Tatsumi had never met someone like Akame before. He knew that she had the ability to feel emotions, but he rarely ever saw it on display, and she talked about murders without any hesitation or feeling in her tone. Tatsumi had killed people before, there was no denying that, but every time it happened, so many emotions would swirl up inside up. He would feel anger, sadness, doubt, and many more depending on who he had killed.

But to think that Akame could kill someone without feeling any emotion…it surprised Tatsumi. Was that just how assassins were? Did they kill so many people that it simply became an ordinary chore?

Tatsumi couldn't imagine himself ever being like that.

"Let's take a break," Akame said as she sat down on a smooth rock in their path. "I'm sure you feel tired."

Tatsumi wanted to deny it, but it was true. His feet were killing him after walking for so long. He sat down on a lower rock beside Akame and let his legs rest for a few moments.

Once he was relaxed, he glanced over to Akame.

"So, Akame, what's your story?"

"What?"

"I mean, I'm new to Night Raid, so I don't know anything about anyone. I should get to know you guys."

"You wish to know more?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

Akame nodded understandingly. "Very well, but you start first."

"Huh? Well, okay." Tatsumi mumbled, thinking of a way to recap his life into a short story. "But it's not exactly that exciting."

"It's fine. Continue."

"Well, I belong to a village outside of the Empire, in the middle of one of the forests. One night, someone entered the village and left a baby at the front steps of the Chief's home. When the Chief found that baby, he took him in."

"And that baby was you."

"Yeah. The villagers raised me as their own and I worked there as an apprentice blacksmith."

"What made you travel to the Capital?"

Tatsumi grinned sheepishly. "The villagers would tell me stories of that place. They said it was a land of opportunity, a place of wealth, a kingdom that could bring you fame. It sounded magical, honestly."

"So you decided you would work there?"

"Yeah. There was a retired army soldier in my village, he was the one that taught me the basics of combat. He wanted me to be a spear user at first, but I gained an affinity for the sword. So, I decided I would join the army, and if that didn't work, I had the backup plan of working there as a blacksmith."

"But then you saw the Capital with your own eyes."

Tatsumi's smile disappeared. "Yeah,"

"Well, Tatsumi, you didn't need to be worried."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Akame smiled gently. "Your story was interesting."

Tatsumi chuckled quietly. Surely, she was just trying to flatter him and make him feel good about himself. Even so, her smile was nice to look at.

He then cleared his throat and grinned at Akame.

"Well, it's your turn. I want to know everyone's stories."

Akame nodded. "Who should I start with?"

"Hmm," Tatsumi hummed. "Let's start with Lubbock."

"Lubbock was the child of a wealthy family in the Capital. He lived a life where he had anything he wanted. From what I heard, he lived a life of luxury."

Tatsumi's eyes widened and he nearly fell off his seat.

"Why on earth would he become an assassin then?"

"Because," Akame sighed. "He met Najenda, our leader."

"And?"

"He fell in love with her, I think."

Tatsumi had a blank expression. "He joined to get closer to Najenda…?"

"That's right."

Not one of the most heroic origin stories that Tatsumi had ever heard. Tatsumi laughed at the thought. Lubbock was an entertaining person, to say the least.

"And Najenda?"

"She was raised within the Empire too, and eventually became a General for the Capital."

"She worked _for_ the Capital?"

"Yes. She worked alongside some terrible people, but once she saw the cruel nature of the other Generals, including General Esdeath, Najenda left the Capital."

"Did she start Night Raid by herself?"

"No. First, she went to the Revolutionary Army. They were suspicious of her, but seeing her hatred of the Empire, they let her create her own squad to weaken the Capital."

"I see." Tatsumi muttered, deep in thought. "And the others?"

Akame shook her head. "If you want to know more, you'll have to ask them yourself. They might get upset if I tell you everything about Night Raid."

"B-But…"

"But what?"

"But, well, I don't really...know how to approach them."

"Don't hesitate, Tatsumi. We are your allies now, you have to learn to trust us and be comfortable. Why not ask Bulat first? The two of you seem comfortable around each other."

Tatsumi leapt upwards and his face went red. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?!"

Akame blinked. "What? Am I wrong?"

"N-No! I mean, he's cool and everything...but it's not like that!"

"Not like what?"

Tatsumi shook his head and calmed himself down. She wasn't thinking the same thing he was thinking. He had jumped the gun.

"N-Nevermind, forget I said anything."

"Okay,"

"Alright then," Tatsumi said, clearing his throat. "So, what's _your_ story?"

It was obvious that Akame had been avoiding the answer to that, that was probably why she talked about the others instead, but Tatsumi wanted to know.

Akame lowered her head and an emotionless expression found its way back onto her face.

"Not yet, I'm not ready to say."

Tatsumi looked at her silently for a few moments, but nodded understandingly.

"Alright, that's fine."

"I'm sorry, Tatsumi."

"It's okay, not everyone is comfortable with telling their life story. But, if you ever feel ready, I'm all ears.

Akame nodded. "Thank you."

The two of them got back up and stretched their legs.

"Hey, Akame…" Tatsumi mumbled as he stretched his arms. "Could you do me a favour?"

Akame glanced back at him. "What kind of favour?"

"Can you teach me how to move like you?"

"Move like me…?"

"I mean, back when we fought, you moved _really_ fast. I couldn't keep my eyes on you. I've seen Bulat and Sheele move fast too, but your speed beats them both. I've been dying to know, how do you do it?"

"I don't move quickly." Akame admitted.

"Huh?"

"I've fought many fights, Tatsumi. After a while, you begin to see the same kind of movements in your enemy, so you can quickly counter-attack. It gives the illusion that you're faster than someone, but in reality you're simply acting before them because you are aware of their next action."

Tatsumi scratched the back of his head, clueless. "How does _that_ work?"

Akame stood opposite of Tatsumi. "I'll show you. Hit me."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go ahead."

Tatsumi nodded, clenched his hand into a fist, and attempted to hit her.

But before Tatsumi had even thrown the punch, Akame leapt towards him, kicked his legs to cause him to lose balance, and watched as Tatsumi fell onto his back. Tatsumi groaned and gradually got back to his feet.

"See what I did, Tatsumi?" Akame asked.

"No, you moved too fast."

"That's what it looks like, but I moved faster than you because I knew your next move."

"How?"

Akame pointed to Tatsumi's right arm. "Muscle movements."

"Muscle…movements…?"

"Yes. Before your enemy strikes, you can see the movement of their muscles under their skin. If you can memorize that movement, their next attack becomes obvious, and you can act before they do."

"Is that the trick you used when you beat me?" Tatsumi asked back with a chuckle, patting off the dirt and dust on his shirt.

"No." Akame admitted. "Naturally, I am faster than you, it didn't take much to overpower you."

Tatsumi flinched. The way how she was so straightforward and honest was slightly cruel at times.

"However," Akame continued with a small smile on her face. "You have potential. No one can expect for you to become skilled in just a few weeks, you need more time. I'm sure that soon, you'll be stronger."

Tatsumi smiled back softly. "And maybe I'll find an Imperial Arm I'm fully compatible with."

"Perhaps,"

Tatsumi and Akame both stared at into the distance. Being at the very top of this mountain, they could see everything down below, and it truly was a sight to behold. Once they had made it back to the bottom, both of them were drenched in sweat, but the travel had sure been worth it.

"We'll have to do this again sometime," said Tatsumi. "I didn't know mountaintops could feel so peaceful."

Akame nodded. "Yes, we should."

The two of them smiled and moved back to the Night Raid base, but stopped in their tracks as they saw something in the distance.

Smoke bursting out of the Night Raid headquarters.

* * *

Wave woke up to see Kurome poking his cheek. He grumbled and got off the bed, his entire body feeling weak and feeble.

"Esdeath said we have to stay alert." Kurome said.

"I was," Wave yawned.

"You were sleeping."

"I was resting my eyes."

"You were snoring."

"I was exercising my lungs."

"Get up."

With a loud grumble, he got to his feet and stretched. Kurome waited outside of the bedroom for him, and Wave scratched the back of his head. If there was one downside to being part of the most elite group of the Empire, it was that he never found any time to sleep. Everyone was expected to be awake and ready at almost any time.

Wave left the room with Kurome, still readjusting his shirt.

"I'm still sore from that battle with the rebels." he said.

"That's not a surprise. You took a lot of hits."

"But it's been _weeks_ since then, I wish I could recover faster."

Kurome paused. "Esdeath still seems a little irritated about that day."

"Yeah…" Wave mumbled. "My first real battle and I lost. Maybe she'll kick me out of the Jaegers."

"Maybe,"

Wave had wished that Kurome would at least sugar-coat that.

Since the day the rebels suddenly attacked the Capital, all of the Jaegers had been assigned to patrol duty around the kingdom's walls. With the chief of police, Ogre, gone there was no one else to make sure that the Capital was safe from anymore intruders.

And even worse, Esdeath had to personally answer for the loss of lives within the Capital's walls. As the leader of Jaegers, all responsibility falls upon her if something goes wrong, but Wave knew that the reason for their failure was him. The man with the Imperial Arm called 'Incursio' was the one who succeeded on getting many of the rebels out of the Capital once the attack was complete. If only Wave had defeated that man, then all of the rebels would have answered for their crimes.

As Wave and Kurome left the Palace and roamed the lower markets, he couldn't help but speak his thoughts out load.

"Do you think that a lot of Imperial Arms can be similar, or is it just bad luck for me?"

Kurome glanced at him. "You mean the similarity between Grand Chariot's key and Incursio's key?"

"Yeah."

"No, it's not uncommon." Kurome said. "Actually, some Imperial Arms can have the same traits or come from the same background."

"But Esdeath said that Incursio's key is just a _prototype_ of my Imperial Arm. I shouldn't have lost." He growled.

Kurome shrugged. "An Imperial Arm can become ten times more powerful is the user is skilled enough."

"Do you think I just need experience?"

"Perhaps,"

"But until then, it looks like I'm responsible for a loss by the Capital."

"Indeed."

"But the Capital won't lose, right?"

"The Empire is superior and stronger than the Revolutionary Army in every way. We won't lose." Kurome giggled.

"Say, that reminds me, why _do_ you fight for the Empire?"

Kurome looked straight ahead. "To meet someone."

"Who?"

"A relative. I have a feeling that if I remain in the Jaegers, I'll meet her again."

Wave didn't understand, but knew that it would be unwise to pry any further. He didn't know much about Kurome, but that would gradually change over time.

But as they moved through the markets, bells began to ring and chime throughout the area. Wave had never heard these bells before but all of the townsfolk quickly stopped what they were doing and began walking in a certain direction. Wave looked at Kurome.

"What's going on?" Wave asked.

"Execution time."

Wave and Kurome followed the crowd, and the sound of the bells chimed louder and louder until they finally reached the place where everyone was gathered.

And Wave couldn't speak.

Hundreds of people stood and watched as several men and women were dragged onto a large wooden platform for everyone to see. Soldiers pushed them onto the stage and then forcefully took off all their clothes, revealing everything to the townsfolk.

Wave felt sick. Kurome showed no reaction.

The naked men and women were slowly pulled over to the wooden crosses on the stage, and one-by-one they nailed them to the crosses and watched them bleed. One of the soldiers, skinny and short, walked to the front of the stage and spoke to everyone.

"This is what happens!" He roars, his voice reaching all of the observers. "This is what happens to spies for the Revolutionary Army! All that awaits you is the death penalty!"

Some of the townsfolk cheered at the massacre while others remained completely silent. Wave looked at Kurome in shock, expecting her to do something. She didn't do anything.

"Kurome, we can't let them do that. Who gave the orders for this?"

Kurome stoic expression didn't waver. "Most likely the Prime Minster."

"Minister Honest? The hell?" Wave said. "This can't be allowed to happen. They're treating those people like animals!"

Wave began to walk forward and push the observers out of the way, but Kurome firmly grasped his arm.

"Stop," she muttered. "You'll only get yourself killed too."

Wave frowned.

"I can't believe you." he whispered.

Wave brushed Kurome's arm off of his shoulder and pushed the townsfolk aside, moving to the steps of the stage. Two soldiers stood in front, guarding the steps, and they held out their arms as Wave approached.

"Halt," The soldier said. "The stage is only accessible to authorized personnel."

"I'm part of the Jaegers." Wave said. "I work under General Esdeath, maybe you've heard of us?"

The soldiers both glanced at each other, unsure. Eventually, one of them shook his head and kept his arms held out.

"The Jaegers are respected and have authority, but this execution has been ordered by someone of much higher authority."

"And who would that be?"

Before the soldiers could answer, a dark-skinned man walked over to Wave with a grin plastered on his face. He looked around the same age, had white, spiked hair, and deep scars all over his face. With a casual expression, he patted one of the soldiers on the shoulder.

"This man giving you trouble?" the stranger asked, his sharp eyes fixated on Wave.

"He is demanding to get up onto the stage, says he's part of the Jaegers."

"Oh?" He chuckled. "Let me handle him."

The dark-skinned stranger walked closer to Wave and observed him carefully, his grin never seeming to fade.

"One of the Jaegers, eh?" he asked Wave.

"That's right. Who are you?"

"The name's Syura." The teenager spoke, expecting Wave to recognize the name, he didn't.

"Are you the one who ordered this execution?"

"That's right."

"How? Just who are you? No one gets to do something like this."

Syura's grin grew and he waved his hand forward. "Come closer and I'll tell you."

Wave leant in closer and Syura cackled into his ear.

"I'm the Prime Minister's son, so I get to do whatever the _fuck_ I want."

Wave moved back and momentarily looked shocked. Minister Honest had a son? And this brat, no less?

But Wave remained firm. It didn't matter who Syura was or who his father was, this was unacceptable.

"Syura, I'm asking you to stop without hostility. Please, don't let this continue."

"Hmm," Syura hummed happily. "You know what? I think I'll do something even better."

Before Wave could ask what, Syura waved over to the two soldiers from earlier.

"Men, hold this guy down." Syura ordered.

Wave stood there with his eyes widened as the soldiers grabbed his arms and held him firmly. He struggled and kicked, but the soldiers were strong and held him in place while Syura chuckled at the sight.

Syura then pointed at the stage. "He wanted to get onto the stage, right? Well, let's give him what he wanted!"

The soldiers obeyed and forcefully dragged Wave up the steps and onto the wooden stage. The townsfolk watched silently, unaware of what was going on. Syura stood on the stage himself and held out his hands to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentleman, look what we've got here! An ordinary soldier under the orders of my father that thinks that he can stop these executions, isn't he a hero?"

The crowd said nothing. Everyone went quiet. Syura continued.

"He demanded to get up on stage and stop us from nailing this traitors to the posts. He _actually_ believes that these animals deserve mercy! Well now, we can't have such weak-minded and pathetic soldiers protecting our Empire, now can we?"

Wave looked out into the silent crowd and found Kurome at the back. Her eyes were widened but she didn't act. Was she afraid to help, or did she know that he was beyond saving?

"So, we have to teach this sensitive soldier that traitors only have one thing coming to them!" Syura laughed at the top of his lungs, snapping his fingers.

Then Wave watched in disbelief as the soldiers dragged over another one of the traitors and placed them beside him. The traitor was a young girl, around thirteen years old, and she had been stripped of her clothing and had bruise marks all over her body. Wave looked the other way, he couldn't look at her.

Syura knelt close and grabbed Wave's cheeks.

"You _will_ watch," he whispered to Wave. "And you will _learn._ "

Syura then nodded at one of the soldiers, giving them the order.

And right in front of Wave's own eyes, the soldier grabbed the thirteen year old girl and swung his axe, ripping her head off her neck in the matter of moments.

Blood gushed out of the girl's neck and splattered onto Wave's face and shirt. He coughed and stared in disgust and horror as the corpse of the young girl lay in front of him. He felt dizzy and sick to his stomach, almost throwing up in front of the crowd watching everything transpire.

Syura giggled, delighted, and stood over the blood-drenched Wave with a sadistic smile.

"A real shame though, huh?" he chuckled into Wave's right ear. "A young, fine girl like that deserves to be in the bedroom, but I guess there are plenty more fish in the sea."

Wave said nothing. Syura didn't notice.

"Let this be the lesson for you, Wave." he whispered. "I'm in control here, I'm the one in charge. I'll _fuck_ whoever I want, I'll _kill_ whoever I want, and _you_ will be damn pleased about it."

Wave still said nothing. His eyes were locked onto the dead girl lying in front of him. Her head missing and her life gone because of him.

"Get him outta here." Syura laughed.

The soldiers then grabbed Wave by the arms and chucked him off the stage.

Wave's head hit the dirt and he remained there as the crowd slowly dispersed and moved along. With a stinging sensation in his chest, he chose not to get back up. He laid there on the muddy ground, his eyes closed and his thoughts muddled up together.

He felt a hand on his back. He looked up and saw Kurome, her face dark and gloomed.

She held his hand and helped him get to his feet. For the first time, he saw what Kurome looked like when she was upset. She ripped off a bit of cloth from Wave's shirt and used it to wipe the dirt and mud on his face. Wave wanted to tell her that he was fine, but he wasn't.

Syura and the soldiers nailed up the rest of the traitors and left the stage, but before they left, Syura glanced back and gave Wave a quick wink.

Once they were gone and Wave and Kurome were alone, he rose to his feet and smeared the blood off his shirt.

"So that's the Minister's son?" he asked.

"Yes."

Wave nodded his head slowly and clenched his hands into fists.

" **I'm going to kill him."**


	14. No 13: Kill The Wealthy

**Hello and thank you for waiting for this chapter!**

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* * *

Akame and Tatsumi had rushed towards the headquarters of Night Raid as fast as they could.

Yet, even as they burst through the main doors, they didn't see anyone panicking.

Lubbock noticed them first. "What's with you guys? You look terrified."

"We…saw smoke." Tatsumi panted.

"Oh," Lubbock chuckled. " _That._ Don't worry about it, Sheele just started a small fire by accident."

Akame looked reassured. "Then no one was hurt….that's good."

"Yeah…but…" Lubbock mumbled, looking slightly annoyed. "Sheele sorta burnt up the food for lunch, so…"

Tatsumi immediately felt a different aura radiating from Akame. She looked furious and her eyes had an ominous glow.

"The food…" Akame muttered. "She burnt…the food…?"

Lubbock quickly realized his mistake of informing her and stood in front of the door to the kitchen.

"H-Hold on, Akame! You know she's a little clumsy…right?"

Akame ignored him and brushed past angrily, running straight into the kitchen.

"She's scary at times," Tatsumi admitted quietly.

Lubbock sighed. "I just hope she goes easy on Sheele."

"Do these things happen often?"

"Yeah. Wherever Sheele goes, there's a mess or accident behind her."

"Then why do you still give her chores?"

"Because we're sorta understaffed, Tatsumi." Lubbock laughed. "Everyone has to do their part."

"What about me?"

"I heard Najenda is putting you on mopping duty soon."

That wasn't good news to hear. This building was massive, how was anyone supposed to clean it all?

Tatsumi left the Great Hall and headed to his room upstairs.

After that trip with Akame, he felt exhausted. If he was allowed to rest, he would definitely do that right about now.

But he couldn't. Najenda had enforced a strict 'no-sleeping policy' during daylight. And while Tatsumi was certain the rule had been implemented because of Lubbock, it slowly turned out to be a problem for him too.

Tatsumi grumbled and sat down on his bed, just wanting to be alone with his thoughts.

But that wasn't going to happen.

Bulat entered the room, a smile on his face and a comb in his hair. Once again, he wasn't wearing any shirt, but Tatsumi had reluctantly become used to that at this point. He wasn't sure why Bulat insisted on rarely having one, but he didn't feel comfortable asking about it either.

"So, little Bro!" Bulat boomed as he sat down next to Tatsumi, carefully combing his hair. "How was your little trip with Akame?"

Tatsumi sighed. "It was alright."

"Alright? Come on, give me the details!"

"Details? There aren't any." Tatsumi grumbled, then paused as he took a closer look at Bulat. "Is… _that_ a different hairstyle?"

Bulat's lush, black hair wasn't curled forwards in the flamboyant and peculiar fashion, like it always was. This time, he had chosen to twist and turn it upwards at the front.

"Oh ho!" Bulat grinned, looking incredibly pleased. "I'm flattered you noticed!"

"What's with the sudden change?"

"I want to try other looks."

"Why's that?"

Bulat turned away, flicked his hair up, and gazed back at Tatsumi with wide eyes.

"I guess you could say it's out of…love."

"Love?"

"Love."

"Like…lovey-dovey love?"

"Is there another kind of love?"

Tatsumi hesitated for a moment. "Love…for who…?"

"Heh," Bulat gave a quick wink. "I'm not telling."

Tatsumi prayed with both his mind and soul that Bulat was simply messing with him.

There was no mistaking it, he _did_ enjoy Bulat's company. He was energetic, eccentric, and easy to get along with. His only problem was that their conversations could easily take…weird turns. He could already feel a tension falling between them and his face turning red.

He needed to change the subject, and fast.

"Actually," Tatsumi stuttered. "Akame did scold me a bit while we were walking."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What about?"

"About our last mission. She wasn't okay with me being a part of risky tasks."

"That makes sense." Bulat nodded.

"What? You let me go on that mission, though!"

"Yes, because _I_ believe you can handle yourself, but obviously she doesn't feel the same way."

"But why?"

"She's quite protective of her friends."

"I'm not her friend…" Tatsumi muttered, looking at the ground. "We hardly know each other."

"But you both share a common purpose, team, and mind-set. You're closer than you think."

Even though Tatsumi trusted Bulat's wisdom, he simply couldn't see that connection. Not only did he know very little about Akame, but he was also certain that they shared nothing in common. It was what made it difficult to approach her.

If it was true that she worried about him, he appreciated it, but he felt as though it was misplaced. Tatsumi was just an ordinary guy who had been dragged into this whole thing, he was expendable and could be found anywhere. He knew this well, and he had come to accept it reluctantly. She obviously didn't.

"But in the end, you handled yourself really well." Tatsumi noted. "It didn't look like you even tried."

Bulat nodded but had a frown. "Yes, but Esdeath quickly brought that to an end."

Tatsumi froze. That name was suddenly causing him shivers.

Before, that name didn't mean anything to him, but now he felt the weight it carried. Bulat had been speaking of Esdeath's power for a while, but Tatsumi was able to see it for himself during the evacuation mission. She had materialized several waves of ice to slaughter the rebel soldiers before they could escape. Even though Tatsumi was well away from the Capital when she attacked, he could see her massive attacks in the distance and saw just how strong she was first-hand. He _never_ wanted to face her.

"She's really tough, isn't she…?"

Bulat nodded again. "Yeah. She's the biggest reason the Revolutionary Army has been hesitant to launch attacks for a long time. She's the strongest General the Capital has."

"But…you can take her…right?"

"Hm," Bulat hummed, pausing for a moment. When he looked at Tatsumi, his expression was unsure. "No idea, little Bro."

"Huh? But aren't you supposed to be super strong?!"

"Even so, Esdeath has been undefeated for a really long time. A battle between us...it could go either way."

That only added more to the fear factory that Esdeath held, and Tatsumi became even more discouraged. Bulat had shown to be unbelievably strong, but if there was someone that he possibly couldn't beat, then Tatsumi felt like simply giving up. He would never be able to reach Bulat's level, not even once in his entire life.

"Was there anyone else in the Capital that gave you trouble?" Tatsumi asked.

He hadn't been with Bulat during the mission. Their objective wasn't to fight, but to get as many rebel soldiers out of the Capital as they could. The soldiers had made a mistake and they needed to get them away from the Empire. Sheele and Tatsumi chose to do that exact thing while Bulat remained on guard, taking down anyone that would attempt to stop the evacuation. And though Tatsumi wasn't present for Bulat's battle, Bulat seemed worn out by the time the mission was finally over.

"One other person, yes." Bulat eventually admitted.

"Who?"

"I'm not really sure. He didn't tell me his name."

"But he was tough?"

"Not really…but his Imperial Arm was incredibly powerful, and the kid had spirit too."

"What kind of Imperial Arm?"

"The same one as mine," Bulat said as he unsheathed the silver sword from behind his back. He held it out for Tatsumi to behold. "It's called Grand Chariot's key."

"Two identical Imperial Arms…?"

"Not exactly. The Grand Chariot is different in a couple of ways, and was built to be superior. My Imperial Arm, Incursio's key, is just a prototype."

"How do you know this?"

Bulat grinned again. "I made sure to know everything about Incursio's key before using it, including its history."

"So you already knew about Grand Chariot's key…"

"Yes, but it still took me by surprise. I heard of it, but never knew if it was actually real. Now, I guess it is."

"Just how strong is he-"

Tatsumi's question was interrupted as Lubbock came to the door. He had clothes under his arm and a massive grin on his face.

"Tatsumi," he laughed, throwing the clothes at him. "You need to wear this, be ready in ten minutes."

"Ready for what?" Tatsumi asked as he caught the clothes mid-air.

"We've just heard from a source that a nobleman is throwing a celebration at his mansion."

"So?"

"That nobleman has connections to the military, and has lots of information we can 'extract'."

Tatsumi glanced at Bulat, who simply had a raised eyebrow, and he felt uneasy.

He didn't want to go back to the Capital, not after what happened last time, but he knew he was one of the few people who could go there. Some of the others had their faces discovered, Tatsumi was a useful asset for missions like these.

"So…I guess that means…" Tatsumi trailed off, looking at the fancy, elegant clothes he had been given.

"That's right," Lubbock cackled. "We're going to a _party!_ "

* * *

"There has to be _something_ you can do."

Esdeath sighed as Wave kept asking the same thing from her over and over. She had made it clear to him that there was nothing they could do, but yet he insisted on protesting.

"Wave, you can't touch the Minister's son. He has permission to do whatever he wants, you should consider yourself lucky for still being alive after crossing him."

"He's a spoiled brat who's killing people indiscriminately."

"And that's not my problem."

Kurome and the Twins stood by, listening silently to the conversation.

Even after Wave had told Esdeath what happened, and how Syura killed innocent people and humiliated him, she didn't seem to care in the slightest. In fact, throughout the entire conversation, she simply looked bored. She didn't consider what he was saying, and just wanted him to quit talking about it.

"Whatever he was doing," Esdeath quickly snapped at Wave. "You embarrassed me, too."

"Embarrassed you?"

"Precisely. The Jaegers are supposed to be completely loyal to the Empire."

"I can't just stand by and-"

"Yes, you can." Esdeath spoke sharply. "And you _will_. I don't want to hear about you even getting involved with Syura again. You do so again, and the Jaegers will have no place for you, is that clear?"

From the bottom of his very heart, he wanted to refuse and continue to protest, but he couldn't.

He was a nobody until he joined the Empire, and a position in the Jaegers was a massive honour. He couldn't lose all of that. No matter how much he despised Syura, he wouldn't throw away everything he had just for some revenge.

Reluctantly, Wave nodded his head.

"Fine."

Esdeath finally smiled again. "Good."

The blue-haired General slowly took off her hat and relaxed herself in her chair again. Wave stood there, in front of her desk, waiting to be dismissed. Instead, however, Esdeath reaches into her breastpocket and pulls out a small envelope.

"Now, I want to talk about something far more important." Esdeath said, looking at Kurome and the Twins. "You listen up, too."

They nodded obediently.

"We've received reports that more and more people in the Capital are being killed. Esdeath continued. "We have the rebel spies to thank for that."

"Didn't Syura say he executed them?" Wave asked.

"He did, but the rebels aren't going to stop because of the deaths of a few. They're going to slowly send more…capable people to finish the job."

"How do you know that?"

Esdeath grinned sadistically. "As a General, tactician is my forte. And also, they're _incredibly_ easy to read. They're all pathetic amateurs."

"Are we preparing any defences to prevent future assassinations?"

"That's where we come in, Wave. The Minister himself has demanded we stop the assassinations. We're going to do exactly that."

"How?"

Esdeath got up from her chair and stood up, walking over to the window. She glared down at the city below, her eyes cold and calculated.

"Tell me, Kurome." she whispered. "How do you lure in a wolf?"

Kurome stared at the General silently for a few moments, but answered back without hesitation.

"Give him sheep to hunt."

Esdeath laughed, delighted with Kurome's answer.

And even though she was the only one laughing, she didn't seem to care. Wave frowned. It seemed she was amused by the whole situation, and enjoying it. It was one thing to relish a challenge, but she…craved it.

"So," Wave started once Esdeath stopped cackling. "We're going to set a trap?"

Esdeath shook her head. "We already have."

"What do you mean?"

"The Twins have been looking into the assassinations. They found consistencies. The people who were killed were either wealthy, powerful, or had connections to the Minister or the army."

"And?"

"And we've set up an event tonight. A man will host a party, extremely wealthy and respected, and we'll wait for the rebel assassins to arrive. When they do, we slaughter them to send the rest of the rebels a message."

"Who is the, err, sheep…?"

"His name is Stephen Duvian. He has close ties to the military and has been supporting them financially." Relica, one of the Twins, answered.

Wave quickly turned to Esdeath. "But we're putting his life at risk!"

"Not to worry," Esdeath responded cheerfully. "The 'Mr. Duvian' that will attend the party is simply a body double. The _real_ one is already under our protection."

Wave nodded.

But still, he wasn't completely alright with the plan. That body double was still potentially in danger. And even if the rest of the Jaegers didn't really care, he would do his best to make sure even _he_ didn't die either. He refused to give the rebels that kind of satisfaction.

"Now, for the battle formations." Esdeath said as she reached into the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a large, brown map.

It was incredibly detailed, with written notes of the exact size of Duvian's building. It also had drawings of its structure, where the windows were, and what rooms were on which level. Wave stared at the drawing and noticed just how massive Duvian's house truly was. No one really needed a household so large and expansive.

"Wave, you'll be with the Twins on this mission. Stay in the Hall and blend in with the guests. The rebels might try to disguise themselves."

"And if they don't?"

"Boros and Seryu will be positioned in the outdoor gardens, in case the rebels are planning a frontal attack." Esdeath answered. She then looked at Kurome. "You and Run will recon through the upper and lower levels, that'll prevent them from a stealth attack."

Kurome nodded and so did the Twins.

Wave was impressed with how much Esdeath thought through their plan. With this formation, they would find the rebel assassins no matter what their method would be, and the positioning of their posts also worked well for them. Wave and Twins would be the eyes, Boros and Seryu would be the muscle, and Kurome and Run would prevent any surprises. They definitely held the tactical advantage.

"Also," Esdeath continued, putting the map away. "Wave, Twins, do your best not to use your Imperial Arms. Try to apprehend them by yourselves."

"What if they're Imperial Arm users like us?"

"Unlikely, but if that's the case, then the use of your Imperial Arms is fine. Just, keep it to a minimum, got it?"

"Understood."

Wave wasn't fond of the fact that he was facing rebels in a crowded area such as a party, but he was working alongside the Twins again. He knew very little about them, even though they were Esdeath subordinates, but they had already proved to be incredibly powerful and reliable in the field.

The door to Esdeath's office opened and everyone turned around.

It was Run. He was dressed differently, wearing a slick, black tuxedo. He also had his blonde hair brushed carefully to the side. He was carrying clothing in his hands, and gave a quick bow as he entered the room.

"Lady Esdeath, I have brought the attire."

"Good." Esdeath smiled, then motioned towards Wave and the Twins. "You too, these are the clothes you'll be wearing. You'll need to remain incognito."

Run handed two dresses to the Twins, then a tuxedo to Wave, similar to the one he had on. Wave stared at the tuxedo with a giant grin on his face, it was the first time he ever got to wear one.

"Oh, and take this as well." Run said as he took out a mask and handed it to Wave.

Wave stared at the mask. It was blue and was shaped like a bird's face. He glanced at Esdeath with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this for?"

"It's a masquerade party, Wave."

"Oh," Wave said, still looking confused.

Esdeath sighed. "You don't know what a masquerade party is, do you?"

"Afraid not…"

Before Esdeath chose to muster up the effort to explain it to him, Elica of the Twins decided to first.

"It's a party where people wear masks in order to add a sense of mystery and excitement. They also do this so that people are encouraged to dance with everyone, not just one person in particular." Elica explained, pulling on a small strand of her white hair playfully.

Relica giggled. "And _we_ already wear masks, but you don't."

That much was true. He never saw Relica or Elica without their masks. Those coloured fox masks never came off for some reason, and it sometimes made Wave feel slightly unnerving. They were already part of the Empire and close to General Esdeath, why did they insist on concealing themselves?

Either way, they were still useful, so he never said anything.

"Alright then," Esdeath said. "The party will start at eight tonight, I expect you to all be ready. We'll have an escort prepared to take us there."

Everyone then left the room, and Kurome walked slowly beside Wave. They walked down the hallway together, heading to their rooms to prepare.

"Are you ready, Kurome?" Wave asked, still looking at his mask.

"This should be easy."

"Still, keep up your guard."

"That advice is more directed towards yourself."

Wave grumbled. "I see you have a very high opinion of me."

"That's not it." Kurome muttered. "I just don't want you getting killed out there?"

Wave paused and looked at her. She didn't look back, still facing straight ahead.

Did she really mean that? Was he actually of some value to her? Her stoic expression and cold words always made him think otherwise. Perhaps she meant that she didn't want to lose him as an asset to Jaegers? He had no idea of telling.

Instead of pondering on the question though, Wave shook his head and smiled. It didn't matter. All he needed to do was focus on the task at hand.

"Alright…" he chuckled.

He slowly slipped the bird mask over his face, grinned, and Kurome followed Wave as he marched forward confidently.

"Let's party."


	15. No 14: Kill The Party

****Hello, here's the next chapter!****

 ** **Special thanks to Son of Athena5555, Omgitskirk, Aton455, and DarkRebel01 for following/favouring this story! You rock!****

 ** **I hope you enjoy!****

* * *

There hadn't been a moment where Tatsumi felt more out of place.

As night descended on the Capital, Tatsumi and Lubbock reached Duvian's mansion by carriage.

The carriage had been provided by the Revolutionary Army so that the two of them would fit in with the rest of the nobles.

No one was planning to come here by foot, they were far too wealthy for such things.

Lubbock sat opposite to Tatsumi in the carriage, and the both of them looked anxious. This wasn't just an ordinary assassination job. Their target was a supporter of the Empire's army, and their mission to kill him was high risk. They couldn't afford to fail.

This would be Duvian's last party.

Tatsumi glanced at his teammate and frowned. He understood why he had to come along on this mission; he was the only one who could fit in since he didn't have a wanted poster of himself yet. With just an expensive tuxedo and a fabricated invitation, he would get into the party and continue with the task at hand.

But what about Lubbock? People had already made a wanted poster of him. They could recognize him.

"Hey," Tatsumi muttered. "Are you sure this'll work? The people there have probably seen your wanted poster."

"Maybe." Lubbock admitted with a shrug.

"Shouldn't Mine have come instead?"

"Mine's Pumpkin isn't exactly stealthy, she would be spotted the moment she tried to use it."

Tatsumi frowned. "Why not just snip down Duvian from afar?"

"That wouldn't work. Duvian's got reinforced windows." Lubbock chuckled, reaching for something behind him. "We've already thought all of that through, Tatsumi."

"Then…how are you going to stop them from noticing you?"

Lubbock grinned excitedly. "I'm a master of disguise, pal."

He grabbed the object he had concealed behind him and held it out for Tatsumi to see.

It was a dress, elegant and glimmering in a white glow. It shined brightly with the jewellery that had been attached to it and had beautiful, blue frills at the end. Lubbock held it nice and close for Tatsumi to take a good look at it.

"Say what…?" Tatsumi mumbled, not following.

Then Lubbock rummaged through his bag and took out something else.

A blonde wig.

Tatsumi froze and his mouth dropped.

"No…" he whispered in disbelief.

"Yep," Lubbock laughed as he stood up.

He quickly slid the dress on and tossed the wig onto his head. He readjusted the wig and put it in a firm position so that it wouldn't slip. He shuffled around in his white dress and, once everything had been put on, he grinned at Tatsumi.

"Well," he said as he sat back down. "What do you think?"

Tatsumi spoke his mind plain and simple. "You look like a girl."

"Good, that's sorta what I was going for."

"You're okay with this?"

"I've had to use this disguise many times, I'm used to it."

"But what about everything else, like walking and talking?"

"Already got that down."

Tatsumi stared in complete silence as Lubbock reached back into his bag and pulled out a vial of perfume. He sprayed it into himself sparingly.

Tatsumi couldn't help it. "You can't be serious."

"Hey, if you can think of a better disguise, I'm all ears."

The two of them felt the carriage come to a halt and Tatsumi pushed the door open. Lubbock got out first and Tatsumi followed behind.

As they stepped out, they saw the middle-aged man who had been driving the carriage. Lubbock struggled to get out of the carriage properly with his baggy dress, but once he had, he glanced over to the driver.

"If we're not back in a hour." he said, taking off Cross Tail and hiding it inside his dress. "Assume that the mission failed and get outta here."

The middle-aged man nodded and whipped the horses, moving the carriage away.

Tatsumi looked at the mansion in front of them.

It was massive. He had already seen drawings of it, but to see it with his own eyes was something else. It towered over him, with seven floors in total. It was lit up in the middle of the night with yellow lights all around. Statues were positioned at its corners, almost as tall as the mansion itself.

The structures were of a bearded-man, obese and short.

"Who are those statues supposed to be?" Tatsumi asked.

Lubbock smirked. "Himself."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah,"

Duvian had four statues of himself circled around his household.

You couldn't get more narcissistic than that.

"You know the plan," Lubbock muttered as he moved forward, walking in a feminine fashion. "We locate Duvian, I break his neck with Cross Tail, and we leave before anyone finds out."

"So, what am I here for?"

"For if things get hairy." Lubbock answered. "I don't handle myself well in sticky situations."

"It won't come to that."

"I hope not."

They approached the steps to the entrance and Tatsumi couldn't take his eyes off the other guests.

There were so many of them, dozens upon dozens. The men all wore expensive tuxedos, some with bowties and others more plain. The women possessed exquisite, carefully-crafted dresses of all shapes and sizes. Some were red, others were white like Lubbock's. But no matter what the colour was, they all looked amazing and incredibly valuable. In all of his life, Tatsumi had never seen one of his fellow villagers were such things. They never had the luxury to.

According to Najenda, all these people were politicians and of high-standing. They were all associated with the Empire and its army, and they all helped and gave their support in various ways. The only reason they weren't targets as well was because Duvian was the most dedicated supporter of them all. His death would significantly weaken the army, and the Revolutionary Army would be allowed to gain more ground and power.

These guests didn't need to be killed. Their deaths would be helpful, yes, but not nearly as much as Duvian's.

Not to Tatsumi's knowledge, Najenda had been planning this assassination for months. She had noticed how the Empire's army consistently grew more and more every day, even though the Empire itself had limited funds.

Then she found out about Stephen Duvian. He had been born and raised in the Capital, and was one of the wealthiest men out there. He was even personal friends with the Prime Minister of the Empire himself. Duvian was a man of influence and power, and he kept giving all of that away without any hesitation. Almost all of his wealth went into the army, as he believed that they were the true men and women of justice.

Night Raid had put him on the kill list for a while, and it was finally time to cross him off.

Lubbock and Tatsumi walked up the stairs with the other guests and reached the main entrance.

Glass. Several guards positioned in front.

Lubbock strode forward confidently and smiled at the one of the guards.

"Invitations, ma'am." the guard spoke in a deep tone.

Lubbock nodded. "Certainly."

In just a mere moment, Lubbock had switched his voice to a women's, and it was frighteningly convincing. Tatsumi had been caught off guard.

As Lubbock then turned to stare at him, Tatsumi realized that the invitations were with him. He reached into his pocket and pulled them out. They were small and purple.

The guards took it out of his hand and started reading it. Tatsumi felt his anxiety quickly kick back in. Lubbock said he had fabricated the invitations himself, but if they weren't sufficient, their mission could end right here and now.

Lubbock didn't act afraid in anyway whatsoever. Tatsumi couldn't tell if he was calm or simply putting up a convincing façade.

Eventually, the guard handed back the invitation and nodded.

"Alright, head on inside."

Lubbock glanced at the guard. "Thank you."

"But," the guard stopped them as they took a step forward. "I'm sorry, but bags are not allowed inside."

Tatsumi glanced at the large, brown bag Lubbock was carrying with him.

It held Tatsumi's Imperial Arm, Adayusu, in there. They couldn't find any other way to hide it, since it was nowhere near as small as Lubbock's Cross Tail.

They couldn't afford to leave the bag. If Tatsumi couldn't bring that weapon inside the building, they would both be compromised.

"Hey," Lubbock giggled, getting closer to the guard. "I _really_ need this bag, honey."

Tatsumi watched as Lubbock both moved and spoke perfectly like a woman, and found himself feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Yet, the guard didn't seem to catch on at all.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you, ma'am." the guard muttered.

"Oh?" Lubbock smiled, pulling something out of the bag. "Maybe this will change your mind…"

The guard's expression immediately changed as he saw a small pouch of coins in Lubbock's hand. Lubbock covered it with both hands and leaned in forward so that others couldn't see it.

The guard grinned and carefully took the pouch, quickly sliding it into his pocket before anyone had the chance to look over to them. He then gave a quick bow and turned away.

"You may enter. Have a nice evening."

Lubbock bowed back. "Thank you."

The two of them then entered the mansion.

Somehow, the building seemed even larger on the inside. They entered a massive hall with tables scattered around, all possessing the latest delicacies. Grand chandeliers hung from the ceiling, gold plated on every side, and they looked almost as expensive as the mansion itself. Stephen Duvian was said to have spent almost all of his money on the support for the army, yet he still had enough to afford a place like this.

It angered Tatsumi greatly. All of these guests standing around, drinking champagne and eating caviar, they all disgusted him.

His village was on the edge of collapse. They had been lumberjacks for almost all of their lives, cutting down valuable and high quality wood every moment of the day. They worked hard in their gritty job to keep their village standing, never complaining no matter how hard it got.

Yet these people were living far better lives without even needing to lift a finger. They sat around and spent piles upon piles of gold for things they didn't even need, but did it simply because they wanted to. They could have anything they wanted, anything they desired, and all they had to do was be completely loyal to the Empire. They would get riches and spoils without working for a full minute.

And did villages like Tatsumi's ever cross their minds? Of course not. To them, simple villagers were their slaves and didn't deserve any wealth. Somehow, they saw themselves as significantly above the people that didn't live in the Capital.

In their minds, only _they_ mattered. The poor and helpless could starve all they want.

"Tatsumi," Lubbock snapped.

Tatsumi broke out of his thoughts and looked around. He had spaced out for a moment.

"What is it?"

"Look at your hands."

Tatsumi looked down.

Both of his hands were shaking frantically. Tatsumi hadn't even noticed it. He never even felt the sensation of them moving.

"Calm down, Tatsumi." Lubbock sighed, walking over to a table and taking a glass of champagne. "I know the sight of these people piss you off, but you need to focus.

Tatsumi was surprised that Lubbock was able to guess what was going on in his head.

Lubbock must've known since he felt the same way, once.

"Right." Tatsumi nodded. "Sorry."

Lubbock shook his head. "Don't apologize. It happens to all of us."

"…what is that in your hand?"

"Champagne."

Tatsumi frowned. "Lubbock, we're on a mission here."

"So? When am I going to get a chance to drink something like this? It's one of the best in the country."

"If you get drunk, we're screwed."

"Please," Lubbock chuckled. "I'm just having one glass."

Tatsumi watched as Lubbock took a quick sip then held out the glass for him.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Take it." Lubbock grinned.

"Why?"

"Don't you want a taste?"

"No,"

"Why not?"

"I'm underaged."

"There's no age restriction in the Capital, silly."

"I'm fine, really."

Lubbock shrugged his shoulders and put the glass down. "Alright."

They both started to stare out into the crowd. They had successfully infiltrated Duvian's household, now it was time to find him. If they could locate him, lead him to a secluded area, and take him out, then their mission was over and they could return back to Night Raid.

But it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be. Duvian wasn't mingling with the guests, as they had anticipated. They expected the man to be lounged with the others, enjoying the food and drinks, but he wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Do you see him?" Tatsumi asked.

"No," Lubbock admitted. "I guess he's late."

"What kind of person is late to his own party?"

"Who knows, man."

Tatsumi was on the edge.

He wanted to complete this mission as quickly as possible. Not only was this a dangerous task, but he felt incredibly out of place too. A villager in the midst of a nobleman's party was undeniably bizarre. More than anything, he just wanted to get out of the Capital again.

"If only you were compatible with Spectator…" Lubbock mumbled to himself.

"Say what?"

"Huh?" Lubbock said as he looked at Tatsumi. "Oh, did I say that out loud?"

"Yeah, you did."

"Sorry, I was just thinking that Spectator would be really handy right now."

"Why's that?"

"Dude, not only could we have sent everyone here into a mental nightmare, but also found Duvian in the matter of a minute."

Tatsumi tilted his head. "True, but it just didn't suit me. I don't know why."

"Well, Adayusu is good too, so it's not that much of a loss."

"Wait," Tatsumi paused. "Did _you_ even try to use Spectator?"

"Of course not."

"Why not?"

"Because Cross Tail is the only one for me." Lubbock cackled. "I'm never switching to another Imperial Arm."

Tatsumi frowned.

Lubbock seemed attached to his weapon. Tatsumi didn't feel the same way. He had no real connection to Adayusu, and he was willing to switch to another Imperial Arm at a moment's notice. Perhaps it was because Tatsumi wasn't fully compatible with it, but he couldn't be sure.

Tatsumi froze as his gaze eventually landed on a familiar face. The person was near the other side of the hall, but Tatsumi could see the boy's face well. It was a guy around the same age and build, with black hair and sharp eyes.

And gradually, Tatsumi recognized the person. It was the police officer that he had encountered on his first trip into the Capital. His name was Wave, if he was remembering correctly.

"Hey, Lubbock." Tatsumi whispered.

"What?"

"That guy over there," he said as he motioned his hand to the right. "I've seen him before."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well, I _think_ so. He's wearing a mask, so it's hard to tell…"

"Who is he?"

"I think I've seen posters of him on walls."

"Wanted posters?"

"No, no. It was promoting enlistment for the army. A guy almost just like him is on those posters." Tatsumi answered hesitantly, unsure of his presumption. "He might be from the army himself."

Lubbock lost his smile. "Someone like that is here…?"

"Seems so,"

"Shit," Lubbock growled, putting his drink away. "This might be a trap."

"Maybe."

"And we don't have a fast method of escaping."

"No, we don't."

Tatsumi sighed. "Do we abort?"

It took Lubbock the longest time to answer. Tatsumi could tell from the expression on his face that he was conflicted. Neither of them wanted to abandon the mission, but if it was a trap there was a good chance both of them would die right here and now.

"No, we stick to the plan." Lubbock eventually said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we've come all this way just to kill one man. We need to get it done."

Tatsumi nodded. "Alright then."

The two assassins' attention was then grabbed as the front part of the hall lit up.

Lights shone down upon a revolving stage. The stage slowly rose from the rest of the hall and music started playing. The music was played by an orchestra behind the stage, with professional musicians. Tatsumi gave a quick look to Lubbock then folded his arms, seeing what the light show was all about.

A short, chubby man waddled onto the stage. He had black, thick hair and a purple moustache. His tuxedo was also strangely coloured in purple. He had golden rings around almost all of his fingers and he had a horse mask on.

Lubbock laughed dryly. "That's him."

Tatsumi barely heard his ally over the music. Duvian was making a ridiculous entrance for himself. It was highly unnecessary.

The other guests gathered around the stage, giggling in delight. They had all been waiting for Duvian's arrival as well.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" Duvian boomed, his voice reaching the hundreds of other guests in the hall. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"

All of the guests cheered happily, their laughter and banter echoing throughout the entire hall in moments.

"Good! Remember, you are all here because you all have bright futures ahead of you. Drink! Celebrate! Rejoice!"

The guests cheered again and Duvian slowly left the stage.

Duvian, the host, had finally arrived.

The moment he got off the stage, several bulky men with fierce looks trailed behind him, protecting him from any angle. They looked tough as bodyguards went, and Tatsumi knew that they weren't going to be leaving his side.

Was Duvian paranoid? Or did know that he was a potential target?

Either way, now that he showed himself he was in their grasp.

Lubbock nodded at Tatsumi and slowly began to advance.

"Let's get him."

* * *

Wave wasn't much for parties.

When he travelled overseas to the Empire, parties and wealth hadn't been on his mind. He cared about recognition and glory, and it was the reason he ever enlisted himself in the army in the first place.

Yet, Elica and Relica seemed to be having the time of their lives.

As people who never took their masks off, they felt at home at a masquerade party. They mingled with the guests, drank any champagne they could find, and were simply enjoying the setting that they had found themselves in.

They were more focused on the party than keeping an eye out for assassins.

Wave stood quietly in the corner, staring at the guests and said nothing. Instead, he waited patiently and hoped that this night would pass quickly.

The rest of the Jaegers had covered the outside of the Duvian household and the other levels. No one suspicious would pass by them.

And even if they _did_ find a way, they would be caught nonetheless. There was no escape, and the Duvian that had showed up to the party was a simple fake. Even if the fake was killed, no actual harm would've been done to the Empire's overall strength.

Wave glanced down at the object in his hand.

Before the mission had started, Doctor Stylish had created several small devices that were connected to each other. They were silver, square-shaped cubes with a red button latched onto its centre. According to the doctor, just a simple push of the button would cause the other devices to emit a high-pitch noise, alerted the rest of the Jaegers that something was wrong.

There was no denying it, Wave was impressed. Such a device was incredibly helpful and certainly difficult to create. He had underestimated the power of God's Hands: the Perfector, much to his own regret, but now he understood just how strong that Imperial Arm was. With the Perfector, building such things could be done in mere moments, and it would be built far better than any other craftsman on the planet.

Wave held the device firmly in his hand and sighed. He was hoping he wouldn't need to use it at all tonight.

As he watched Relica and Elica party happily from afar, they eventually stopped partying and walked back over to Wave. As they approached, he lowered his head and kept his voice down.

"Enjoying the party?" he asked.

Relica nodded. "Indeed."

"It has been a fun night." Elica concurred.

"It seems as though it is coming to an end, however."

"Yes, sister. Our fun for the evening is over."

Wave frowned at the Twins. "What do you mean?"

"We've detected a strange presence." Relica explained vaguely, speaking softly behind her red mask.

Elica continued for her sister. "If our suspicions are correct, this night is going to be…explosive."

"Explosive?"

"Do you see that young woman over there with her boyfriend?" Relica questioned, pointing out into the distance.

Wave stared out and managed to make out the two figures.

A boy and a beautiful woman strode together, side by side. The boy was short, skinny, and had a strange hairstyle. His hair was spiked in every direction with no real sense of direction. The woman on the other hand was blonde and gorgeous, moving both seductively and elegantly. Her dress was very well made too, but was hard to see behind the massive bag she was strangely carrying with her.

"Yeah," Wave finally answered. "I see 'em."

"My sister and I are sensing the energy of an Imperial Arm in that bag." Relica whispered ominously.

Wave quickly turned to look at her. "An Imperial Arm?!"

"Yes."

"How can you tell?"

"We've both been using Imperial Arms for a _very_ long time, you can trust our instinct."

Wave looked back at the young boy and beautiful woman.

Indeed, that bag with them seemed out of place and incredibly large. It could definitely hold something like an Imperial Arm inside of it.

He looked back at Relica and Elica.

They were experienced Imperial Arm users and didn't mess around when it came to their missions. If they said they suspected an Imperial Arm was in the mansion with them, then Wave couldn't dismiss it. Even if it was a false alarm and their senses were off, he needed to make sure for everyone's sake.

All the innocent people in this building…

Just one Imperial Arm had the potential to kill them all. If an Imperial Arm truly was in the mansion, then Wave would also have to use his own in order to stand a chance. He remembered perfectly well that Esdeath had gave him orders to only use his Imperial Arm if it was as a last resort, and he wasn't dismissing it so easily.

But the enemy possessing their own Imperial Arm? That seemed like an excusable situation for Wave to use the Grand Chariot in.

Wave rushed onto the scene. "Stay here. I'll check it out."

The Twins obeyed and hung back as Wave moved forward quickly. He brushed past guests, causing a few irritated stares to be shot at him, but he didn't dare slow down.

The fake Duvian headed towards the bathroom upstairs and Wave saw the bag carrier prowling carefully behind his guards. Those two strange guests were definitely tailing Duvian on purpose, that much was now perfectly clear.

Once they were at the top of the stairs, the guards left Duvian's side as he wandered into the men's bathroom.

Wave stood round the corner, watching wearily as the beautiful woman and the boy waited for the guards to disperse before heading into the bathroom as well. That was a smart move. There's no question that they have discretion in mind.

With a hesitant glance, he saw the warning device still in his palm. He could press the button right now and alert the Jaegers that something was up.

But…

But what if Wave handled this by himself? All of the credit for finding rebel assassins would fall onto him, and even Esdeath would have to praise him for such a feat. He would finally make a real name for himself inside of the Capital, and become known and feared by the Revolutionary Army at the same time.

Wave shoved the warning device into his pocket and darted into the bathroom.

" _Arghh!"_

Wave watched in disbelief as the fake Duvian was already hanging from the ceiling, his snapped neck being held by thin, silver threads. Blood was dripping from his body onto the floor, and two boys were faced the other way.

"Well," the boy with green hair chuckled as he tossed his wig away. "Looks like the job's done."

The boy with brown hair nodded. "Yeah, he didn't even put up that much of a fight…"

The two of them then slowly turned around and saw Wave stood by the entrance.

Wave reached for his mask and took it off, staring at the two boys with utter shock. The beautiful woman was actually a girl, and they were both so skilled that they killed a man without raising even the slightest of noise. Not even their expressions showed any signs of guilt, regret, or remorse. They simply looked like they had squashed an annoying bug.

"Shit," the green-haired boy muttered. "Tatsumi, I thought you said no one followed us."

Tatsumi frowned. "I didn't see anyone, I swear, Lubbock."

That was the last straw.

They weren't leaving this place alive, Wave had now pledged it inside his heart.

"You two…" Wave hissed as he unsheathed the Grand Chariot Key. "You're going to pay for that."

The boy called Tatsumi widened his eyes as he saw Wave's weapon. He looked hesitant and slowly pointed at it.

"Hey, that looks like Incursio's Key."

Lubbock grinned. "An Imperial Arm user, huh? That's rather bothersome."

"Enough talk." Wave growled. "Stand down!"

"Nope…" Lubbock laughed. "I don't think we'll be doing that."

In just the matter of a few seconds, the silver threads that had strangling the fake Duvian started flying towards Wave.

Wave yelped and quickly ducked, watching the silver threads zoom over his head. He blocked the next wave of them with his sword.

" _An Imperial Arm?"_ Wave thought to himself. _"Normal threads don't move like that."_

Knowing that these two were dangerous, he then leapt forward to kill Lubbock with a single slash.

But Tatsumi suddenly jumped in the way, pulling out a black scythe from behind his back.

The Adayusu and Grand Chariot Key clashed together and the force sent them both tumbling backwards. Wave quickly got back onto his feet and grimaced, they were _both_ Imperial Arm users.

Tatsumi got to his feet much faster than Wave did and swung the Adayusu into the ground, missing Wave by just an inch. Wave rolled backwards and felt sweat drop from the side of his face. Both those Imperial Arms were incredibly dangerous and he couldn't keep up with the two of them like this.

Lubbock finally managed to latch his threads around Wave as he got distracted. With brute force, he used the threads to toss Wave across the corridor, causing Wave to fall over the balcony and crash into the bottom hall, colliding with the very centre of the party hall.

Guests screamed out in terror as Wave fell from the second floor. The party music stopped and everyone immediately rushed to the side. Wave struggled to get back to his feet, nothing had been in the way in order to soften his fall. As he slowly rose to his knees, he felt the rough floor beneath him, it had been cracked from the impact.

Tatsumi and Lubbock carefully leapt down onto the bottom floor, landing perfectly on their feet.

"Looks like this isn't going to be a stealth mission after all…" Lubbock grumbled in annoyance.

"If any of you want to leave here with your lives, get out of here now!" Tatsumi roared to the guests.

No one needed to hear that a second time. They all rushed towards the mansion entrance and trampled over each other to frantically escape.

Wave's vision had become blurry, but he was able to see the Twins quickly run over to him and pick him up. His knees were weak, but he stood back on his feet and shook his head a few times, trying to get his vision back to normal.

"So," Relica giggled as Wave gradually recovered. "You rebels took the bait."

Lubbock shrugged. "We suspected this whole party could've been a trap, but Duvian had to die."

"Oh?" Elica smiled. "Then you're going to be really disappointed when you find out that the Duvian you killed was a body double."

"Wha-?!"

"General Esdeath anticipated your every move. We lured you in and made sure you wouldn't win no matter what the outcome was."

Lubbock and Tatsumi began to look uneasy.

"And now," Relica whispered. "You're both going to die painful deaths."

Tatsumi had heard enough.

He threw himself forward and slashed the Adayusu at both of the Twins, but they dodged it without a second thought.

Wave, once recovered, unexpectedly grabbed Tatsumi by the neck and tossed him into a nearby wall.

"I'll take this guy." Wave told the Twins, hatred and rage seething in his voice.

Before Tatsumi could pull himself out of the hole in the wall, Wave stabbed the Grand Chariot Key into the ground and took Tatsumi by surprise as a massive Danger Beast appeared behind him. The Danger Beast growled ominously for a few moments, then reached its claws out and covered Wave with its armour. The black armour surrounded Wave in just a matter of seconds, and Tatsumi had clearly lost his nerve.

"You're the guy that Bro talked about…" Tatsumi said to himself.

Tatsumi tried to get the element of surprise by attacking Wave first, but the Adayusu simply bounced off the Grand Chariot's chestplate and didn't even leave a scratch. With fear flashing in his eyes, Tatsumi took a few steps back.

"It's useless to fight back." Wave said with no emotion. "Try to die with some honour, scum."

Tatsumi frowned. "The people of this kingdom are the true scum."

The two fighters collided again.

No matter how many times Tatsumi threw the Adayusu at Wave, the Grand Chariot's armour wouldn't even show a dent. Wave watched the useless strikes ricochet off him a couple of times, then grabbed Tatsumi by his tuxedo and smashed him against the ground. His fists collided with Tatsumi's face countless times as Wave punched the assassin out of frustration, digging them both deeper into the ground.

Tatsumi's face was covered in blood by the time Wave had stopped punching him. He coughed weakly, but hadn't lost his fighting spirit yet. He kicked Wave in the stomach and pushed him aside, getting back onto his feet.

He flicked the chains on the back of Adayusu which curled around Wave's feet, then flung him upwards and watched as he came crashing back down. With the Grand Chariot's armour, however, Wave took no damage from the fall and shrugged off the attack.

Wave had made it perfectly clear that the Adayusu was no match for the Grand Chariot. Perhaps that scythe was more effective against other Imperial Arms, but it wasn't suited to take on an armoured Imperial Arm in any fashion. The most logical action to take was to drop his weapon and accept defeat. If he did so, Wave would at least give him a quick death.

Which was merciful considering that Tatsumi had killed that man without hesitation.

But Tatsumi did no such thing.

He stubbornly wiped his own blood off his face and held out the Adayusu confidently.

Wave had been impressed by this rebel, even if he did loathe him. The boy had fast reflexes to be able to dodge some of his punches, and even survive the punches that did connect. Wave's punches were strong on their own, but now they were also reinforced by the Grand Chariot's sheer power, but this rebel was still standing and raring to go.

Still, seeing the Adayusu in his possession only pissed off Wave more.

He recognized it. That Imperial Arm belonged to one of the fighters for the Capital. His name was Velix and he had been tasked to support Zank in their attempt to stop Night Raid, but he was found dead soon after and his Imperial Arm went missing.

And it was right here in the Capital again, this time in the hands of rebel scum. Wave felt his blood boil by simply thinking about it.

"Just stand still and die already." Wave growled under his breath.

At the other side of the hall, Lubbock and the Twins were clashing furiously and relentlessly, destroying everything valuable around them in mere seconds. As Elica's foot met Lubbock's chin, he flew backwards and hit against a statue behind him.

"Heh," Lubbock laughed cheekily, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "This is probably the first time I _don't_ want to take two girls on at once."

The Twins ignored his comment and used their Imperial Arm.

They revealed a golden bracelet on both of their wrists. They tapped it at the same time and a gargantuan bow materialized out of thin air, aimed directly at Lubbock.

Lubbock's jaw almost dropped as he saw the massive bow. He had never seen such an Imperial Arm before, nor even heard of it.

"What the _hell_ is that?!" Lubbock cried out. "That isn't fair!"

Relica giggled out in delight as she stood on top of the golden bow. She casually walked along the top of it and held out her hands.

"Impressive, isn't it?" she asked.

Lubbock grumbled. "Inconvenient is what it is."

"Its name is Master Archer: Synchronive."

"Synchronive?" Lubbock repeated with a raised eyebrow. "I've never heard of it before, and I've done my homework on Imperial Arms."

"Oh," Elica answered. "That's because it's been unused for a _very_ long time."

"What do you mean?"

"Synchronive takes, well, synchronization. It's an Imperial Arm that requires _two_ users in order to operate."

"The two users have to be fully connected in every way." Relica continued, smiling at her sister below. "And the Empire had a hard time finding two people like that."

"Until they found you two masked freaks?" Lubbock snorted, seeming completely unimpressed.

Relica looked unfazed. "That's right."

"And we're afraid…" Elica whispered with a sadistic grin plastered on her face. "…that Cross Tail won't even be a match."

Lubbock prepared a cheeky retort, but paused as Tatsumi was thrown to his feet.

Wave slowly returned back to the Twins' size, standing behind the giant Synchronive. He cracked his knuckles and heaved out a deep sigh.

"You foolish rebels don't stand a chance. Give up and face prosecution." he demanded.

"Not…a…chance…" Tatsumi gasped as he gradually got to his feet.

Lubbock looked concerned. "You alright man?"

"I'm fine…"

As Tatsumi stood up again, everyone saw the small stain of blood on his shirt. It certainly wasn't anyone else's blood.

He was putting up a front.

The Twins and Wave were both formidable foes and neither the Cross Tail nor the Adayusu was well set up to combat against their weapons. The two assassins had found themselves in the worst possible situation they could, and there was no escape from this. Their only option was to fight their way out, even if it resulted in their deaths.

Lubbock stood in front of Tatsumi and stared bravely at their enemies. His gaze was powerful and Wave could feel the force of it.

"Heh, this is looking sort of bad for us." Lubbock laughed genuinely. "But I'm not planning to die today, I've got someone I gotta get back to."

"Oh…?" Wave hissed back, his hands clenching into fists. "You'll have to rearrange those plans."

Without any warning, Wave pulled out Doctor Stylish's device and pressed the red button.

The device remained inactive for a few moments, then the button on it quickly began flashing red and it started emitting a loud, siren-like noise. It continued ominously and Wave finally tossed the device away, no longer serving any purpose.

A chill crawled up both Tatsumi and Lubbock's spine as the sounds of frantic footsteps echoed around them, coming from every direction. Two figures emerged from the basement. Two figures leapt down from the ceiling of the mansion and into the hall. Two figures crashed through the front window. They all gathered together behind Wave and held out their Imperial Arms threateningly.

"Well…" Lubbock mumbled, wiping off blood from his bottom lip. "Shit."

And then the Jaegers descended upon them.


	16. No 15: Kill The Limitations

**Hello!**

 **Special thanks to SGTmike14, Riddler90, BlackCatXIII, merlinjackson, and Helios61 for following/favouring this story! You're awesome! C:**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

The Jaegers clashed against the two rebels.

Tatsumi tumbled backwards and felt his back meet the wall. Both of his arms were bleeding and he could taste blood in his mouth. This was not going well.

They had planned a stealth mission to kill Stephen Duvian to weaken the Empire, but instead killed a fake _and_ had the Jaegers ambush them. This mission had been a complete failure, and now Tatsumi wasn't sure if they were going to make it out alive.

Lubbock was definitely faring better. Being experienced in combat, he was able to hold his own well, considering how they were battling against several other Imperial Arm users.

Tatsumi got back to his feet and stood beside Lubbock. They both panted heavily, and Tatsumi could see that his friend was bleeding almost as much as he was.

"What do we do, Lubbock?" Tatsumi gasped, Adayusu feeling heavy in his hands.

"I'm thinking of something." Lubbock mumbled back, wrapping silver threads around his right palm. "We can't beat these guys, that much is obvious. We have to get out of here somehow."

That wouldn't be easy, however. The Twins were using their Imperial Arm Synchronive, a massive and destructive bow, to blast them apart. It wasn't helping that the rest of the Jaegers were also battling furiously, and Tatsumi knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer.

"Look, if you can somehow keep them busy, I can set something up with Cross Tail. Maybe a trap of some kind."

"I don't have full compatibility of this Imperial Arm, Lubbock. You know that already." Tatsumi muttered. "I can barely fight them as it is."

"We're making it out of here somehow, damn it."

The Jaegers had already charged forward again.

Lubbock threw two threads, lassoed them to the chandeliers attached to the ceiling, and yanked on them as hard as he could. The chandeliers immediately broke off from their housing and smashed into the floor below, creating a blockade between him and the Jaegers.

But it wasn't nearly enough to stop them. Kurome had already leapt over the broken chandeliers and darted towards Tatsumi. She swung her sword swiftly, planning on killing him with a simple cut through the neck.

Tatsumi saw the attack coming, however, and blocked it with his scythe. The Adayusu was durable enough to hold the sword back, but Kurome was far too fast for Tatsumi. She slashed again and again, each coming closer to killing him. Tatsumi attempted to swing the Adayusu into the ground in order to gain some distance from the dangerous girl, but was interrupted as something sharp pierced through Tatsumi skin, creating a large gash on his left arm.

Tatsumi looked up and saw a man with wings firing down feathers upon him. Logically, no one would ever think feathers to be harmful, but these were something else. They rained down too fast for Tatsumi to dodge, and sliced through skin like paper. Now Tatsumi had piercing bullet-like feathers showering down, and a girl swinging her sword at him like there was no tomorrow. He was being pushed back.

Kurome jumped up high and slashed her katana down onto Adayusu. Tatsumi felt himself struggle to block the attack.

His face was now close to the girl's, and he was hit with the feeling of déjà vu.

This girl's facial similarities to Akame were uncanny.

Another feather shot down and scraped against Tatsumi's cheek. He felt blood drip from the side of his face. He needed to get rid of that winged man before even standing a chance of taking down the girl in front of him.

Tatsumi remembered the Adayusu's special ability of expanding and retracting, and decided to try and use it for the first time. He swung the Adayusu in front of himself to make Kurome dodge, then pointed the edge of the scythe to Run in the sky and allowed the Imperial Arm to suddenly become several times longer. The Adayusu's handle was still in Tatsumi grip, yet now it was long enough to reach the building's ceiling. Run didn't expect the scythe to expand and was caught off guard, taking a direct hit and crashing back down to the floor.

Tatsumi almost smiled. He didn't know how long that attack would keep the winged man out of the sky, but that was definitely a huge weight taken off his back. Now he could focus on just Kurome.

The girl was undeniably quick, but Tatsumi was gradually starting to understand how she moved. It was just as Bulat taught him. By looking at Kurome's muscle movement, Tatsumi was beginning to anticipate her attacks before she initiated them. The Adayusu and Yatsufusa collided, causing massive sparks to fly out as the strength of the scythe and katana violently rivalled one another.

Tatsumi gave a quick swing, slow and predictable, allowing Kurome to lean back and dodge it.

However, without warning, Tatsumi gripped the Adayusu's handle and watched it become longer again. Kurome had thought she dodged the attack, and fell for Tatsumi's trick, receiving a cut on her right leg as the Adayusu grew long and short at a moment's notice. She took a few times back and Tatsumi felt confident as he saw her pant.

"It'd be in your best interest to give up now." Tatsumi spoke, smearing off the blood on his cheek.

The girl stared at him with her pitch-black eyes.

She didn't say anything for the longest time. Instead, she heaved a heavy sigh and held out her katana. Her expression seemed slightly annoyed and she closed her eyes.

When she eventually spoke, her voice was incredibly quiet. "I guess I should stop holding back."

"Huh?"

The katana in the girl's handle suddenly began to glow, a black aura dancing off its edge. Darkness radiated out of it ominously and lightning quickly burst out of it, crackling out purple electricity that struck the ground. Tatsumi stood back from the dark energy, expecting it to be an attack, but he was completely wrong.

The purple energy instead reached deep into the ground, and after a few moments, pale beings lifelessly began to crawl out by the dozen.

"Oh crap," Tatsumi murmured as the living dead deceased down upon him.

Lubbock was at the other side of the hall, his back against a wall.

He was now battling Boros and the Twins at the same time. He grinned as he struggled to stand up straight, and didn't show any sign of fear as his enemies slowly walked towards him.

"For professional assassins…" Elica of the Twins giggled. "You're rather weak, aren't you?"

Lubbock's grin grew. "Hey, I'm a man fighting in a dress. Give me a break."

Boros stood silently beside the Twins, the Rubicante sizzling out steam from its end. He hadn't spoken the entire fight, and simply attacked whenever the Twins did. Lubbock wasn't sure how to counter the powerful flamethrower Boros wielded, but he was already beginning to conjure up a plan.

"Just accept your fate and die, rebel." Relica muttered, snapping her fingers.

The moment she snapped, the massive bow behind them charged up another arrow and fired.

Lubbock used the thread he had wrapped around his palm to grapple onto a nearby pillar and pull himself towards it. He slid across the ground and got behind it. The pillar almost gave way to the sheer force of Synchronive, but held through the first arrow. Lubbock panted and pulled out more silver threads from Cross Tail. He needed to figure out how to kill or subdue the Twins and Boros, and _quick._ There was only so much time he could hide behind the stone structure.

He sat down as the pillar took another gargantuan arrow and heard it crack slowly from the inside. He just needed a few seconds to breathe. If his cover could give him that much time, then he would be grateful.

But he wasn't allowed to take a break.

A figure broke through one of the building walls and immediately charged at Lubbock. The assassin had no time to time to react and his stomach met the end of a spiked mace, causing him to gasp out. He flew across the hall and felt the back of his head smash against the marble floor.

Lubbock didn't get up this time. He remained on the floor, completely motionless.

He took a direct strike from a metallic mace. He was dead.

The person that had suddenly entered the building giggled and brushed strands of hair out of their face.

"Justice has been delivered!" Seryu cackled happily, her right arm now a mechanized weapon.

She glanced back at the Twins and Boros, this time her smile looking innocent and pure-hearted.

"Sorry I was late!" she spoke apologetically. "It won't happen again!"

Relica of the Twins responded. "No, your timing was well. That boy didn't expect you."

"You spared us the trouble of killing him ourselves." Elica continued. "He was a hard one to pin down."

Boros said nothing, only nodding.

The Jaegers turned their backs and gazed at the other side of the hall. They saw their ally, Kurome, battling furiously against a brown-haired boy. It looked like Kurome had the upper hand with that fight, and now Wave was heading towards the rebel too, so everything was under control.

"This fight is already over." Seryu commented, patting the head of the dog following obediently beside her. "Lady Esdeath will be most pleased, right?"

"Indeed." Relica nodded. "These rebels are nothing but-"

Relica was interrupted by her own scream.

Something sharp tightened on her surface of her skin. Threads spun around her arm and hand, its grip as powerful as metal. Once the threads had danced enough times to properly spindle themselves onto Relica's arm, the Twin's scream grew even louder as they yanked on her limb and tore straight through her shoulder. Blood gushed out of the freshly-made wound and Relica collapsed onto her sister.

Elica, Boros, and Seryu immediately turned around to see where the threads came from.

And saw Lubbock, on his feet and looking as smug as ever. He chuckled as the threads retracted and returned back to his gloves.

Relica growled out in agony and felt like fainting as she saw the assassin.

And her arm dangling lifelessly in his grip.

Lubbock held up the disembodied arm and watched it bleed. This was his objective from the beginning. He saw the Twins as the most dangerous, and knew he had to weaken them first.

He stared at his enemies and smiled as he saw their expressions contort with rage. They all felt tricked and hateful, especially as Lubbock was holding their ally's arm and letting it bleed on the floor.

"You," Seryu spoke slowly, her innocent façade subsiding. She had the look of a true killer. "You couldn't have survived that. I stabbed you right in the stomach."

Lubbock raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I was supposed to die from that? Sorry, guess I didn't get the memo…"

" _How did you survive?!"_ Seryu hissed, her hands shaking and her head twitching.

Lubbock laughed again, then pulled off his white dress. He slipped it onto the floor, revealed his normal clothes underneath, and showed his enemies what he had wrapped around the fabric of his clothing.

Threads. Countless amounts of them, all tightly-fastened around Lubbock's upper body. Seryu didn't believe what she was looking at, it was like an entire chestplate of armour with just a few measly strings. They reflected the light around him brightly, and Lubbock wrapped one more thread around it to secure it.

"That's impossible!" Seryu cried out. "Those are nothing but strings!"

"Heh, obviously you've never heard of Cross Tail. It's got infinite uses, and with it in _my_ hands, it has another infinite more. You can do anything with this Imperial Arm if you put your mind to it."

Elica knelt close to her sister and tore off a patch of her own clothes, using it as a bandage to wrap around Relica's wound. The bandage wasn't enough to cover the large wound, but Elica held it in place to stop most of the bleeding. Her eyes then glared at Lubbock hatefully.

"You'll pay for that. No one hurts my sister." she hissed.

"Really? Honestly, I kinda doubt that. The two of you are basically useless now."

Elica frowned. "What do you mean by _that_?"

"Do you think I take away people's arms indiscriminately?"

At first, Elica didn't follow.

Then the giant bow that they had summoned disappeared without warning.

Her eyes widened. She gradually began to realize what he was saying. He didn't just take away Relica's arm for no reason, he did it all strategically. Synchronive needed two people to wear two bracelets in order to summon it, so without the bracelets, it wouldn't even materialize in the first place. Relica was right-handed, so she always wore her bracelet around that wrist.

Elica looked at which arm Lubbock had taken. It was Relica's right.

And on the arm that Lubbock had taken, the golden bracelet hung from it. Lubbock took the bracelet off the arm then tossed the useless limb to the side. He hadn't gone for Relica's arms, he just wanted her bracelet.

"Your mistake was showing me how your Imperial Arm is created." Lubbock sneered, slipping the golden bracelet into his pocket. "By showing me that you need both bracelets to summon it, you basically told me how to deactivate it as well."

Elica was shaking with anger. "You…"

"With this, I've got this fight in the bag."

Lubbock was lying.

It was true that he had taken his enemies off guard and stopped the Twins from using their Imperial Arm, but he knew perfectly well that it wasn't enough. Even with the Twins out of the picture, he still had to take on both Seryu and Boros, who were now more determined than ever to kill him.

Lubbock was still looking for an opening for him and Tatsumi to escape. They wouldn't survive at this rate. It was several Imperial Arm users to just two of them. If that opening ever came to show itself, he would have to take it, no matter the risk.

Seryu was the first to attack. She ran directly towards Lubbock with her dog following faithfully by her side.

"Just die like the animal you are, rebel!" she screamed, holding out her mechanized arm. "Coro, number five!"

Lubbock as the girl disturbingly transformed her right limb. Her dog suddenly grew in size and its jaw was now as large as her. It unsheathed its sharp, jagged teeth and bit into Seryu's arm. Blood splattered out and Seryu grinned happily as a giant spear was revealed out of Coro's mouth. Lubbock was simply turned off by it.

"These are the weapons of justice, granted to me by Doctor Stylish!"

Lubbock stared at the green spear Seryu now had for an arm, and the deformed dog. Unlike the Twins' Imperial Arm, he had actually seen Seryu's before. Not up close like this, but in the books that he studied from. That dog was an organic Imperial Arm type, the kind of weapon that had recently become a scarcity. When Lubbock had read about it, he never even imagined that he'd one day fight against it.

Seryu's spear was thrown right at him, intended to tear him from limb-to-limb. Lubbock knew he wasn't fast enough to dodge, so he instead put his faith in his threaded armour. The armour around him held strong as the spear tried to pierce through his chest, but Lubbock knew that they wouldn't hold forever. While Seryu careless leapt forward to try and skewer him again, Lubbock flipped three threads up and aimed them with such precision that they immediately caught her neck. The threads squeezed tightly and, as he heard her choke, he tried to pull down harder to quickly snap her neck.

But Boros didn't let that happen.

Rubicante's flames danced towards Lubbock and scorched through his two sleeves. He tore them off before the fire could reach his skin, and slid a thread under Boros. At first, the masked man didn't understand what Lubbock was trying to accomplish, but quickly caught on as the string lassoed onto his ankle and swept him off the ground. His back met the floor and he dropped his Imperial Arm.

Lubbock went back to focusing on Seryu. She wasn't like the others, she fought far more furiously. Coro jumped at him, biting through the threads around Lubbock's torso, and he watched as his armour was ripped around. He kicked the dog away and checked if any of the threads of his armour remained, but it was all torn through. He cursed, and spat out some more blood, as he noticed Coro continuing to get larger and larger. At the rate it was growing, it would be several times bigger than him in just a few minutes.

With haste, Lubbock pulled out five more strings from his gloves and held them close together, quickly intertwining them to make one, thick thread. As Seryu threw herself forward carelessly to attack again, Lubbock tossed the stronger thread forward and wrapped it around her eyes, squeezing down on her face viciously to prevent her from tearing it off.

"I-I can't see!" she growled out in frustration.

Once she realized she couldn't take the thread off, she resorted to indiscriminately throwing punches instead. Being completely blind, all of her swings missed and Lubbock was finally able to give the girl an uppercut she deserved. His fist met with her chin and he smiled as he saw her tumble onto the floor.

That had been undeniably satisfying.

"Coro…do something!" Seryu exclaimed, half-pleadingly and half-demandingly.

The dog didn't need to hear anything else.

It roared out angrily and its growth process suddenly accelerated. Within seconds, its muscles expanded and popped out of its skin, its eyes became pitch black, and it was tall enough to tower over Lubbock. It had immediately gone from a small dog to a massive beast.

"Uh oh," was all that Lubbock could mutter as the monster charged at him.

* * *

Wave had expected Kurome and Run to end this fight quickly.

But he watched as Tatsumi kept trading hits with Kurome and her puppets, and Run struggled to get back in the air.

Wave first rushed up to his fallen ally and knelt beside him.

"Run, are you alright?"

Run nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I just got a bit of a headache, that's all."

"Stay here, I'll finish this."

He got back up and let Run sit the fight out. He had dropped all the way from the ceiling and Wave could see the side of his head bleeding. He would have to take Run's position in this fight instead.

He watched as Tatsumi fought valiantly against Kurome's dead puppets. It was obvious that Tatsumi hadn't expected them to appear, and fighting multiple enemies at once was a clear struggle for him. As Tatsumi faltered and fell backwards, Wave noticed the opening and rushed in.

Grand Chariot's fist meet with the Adayusu, and Wave saw the scythe grow a small crack from the impact. It was clear that the Adayusu hadn't been built for durability. Once Wave had punched the weapon out of the way, he held Tatsumi by the shoulder and threw direct punches to his face repeatedly. The rebel gasped and yelped out in pain, and once Tatsumi's body had lost its energy, Wave tossed him to the ground.

Kurome's puppets stood by as their enemy had fallen. Wave glanced back at the reanimated dead that Kurome had raised, his curiosity peeked as he had never witnessed them before.

A frown grew on his face as he saw soldiers. Dead soldiers, still wearing Capital colours. Their expressions were lifeless, blood oozed slowly out of their mouths, and one of them was missing an arm and a leg. Wave couldn't deny that it was incredibly disturbing.

And also confusing. Kurome was part of the Empire. Her loyalty was with the Emperor and his kingdom, so why did she have soldier puppets?

Wave lost his train of thought as he noticed Tatsumi gradually getting back up. Even without any armour of his own, he had endured punches from the Grand Chariot and was still standing. It frustrated Wave like nothing else, but also perplexed him. He had never faced an enemy that could take so many hits from his Imperial Arm.

"Why…" Wave whispered, Kurome's puppets standing beside him, ready to put Tatsumi back onto the floor. "Why do you persist like this…? Do you really believe there's honour in the crimes you commit?"

Tatsumi shook his head as he got to one knee. "No, I don't. There's no way anyone can be proud of being an assassin."

"Then _why?!"_

"Because I have to. I've seen what the Empire truly is, and I can't just stand around and let it torture more people. I…refuse to."

Wave simply couldn't understand the rebel.

The Empire was fine. It was more than fine, in fact. It was a land of prosperity and opportunity, and far more peaceful than any other kingdom on the planet. The people of the Empire were safe from wars and conflict, it was the Revolutionary Army that was changing that.

Yet, Wave saw a fire in Tatsumi's eyes. It was similar to his own, and Wave couldn't help but wonder what could drive this rebel to fight so hard for a dastardly cause.

"Had this been any other way…" Wave grumbled quietly as Tatsumi stood back up. "I would've seen you as a true warrior and accepted a truce, but…"

"But you can't, because I'm a rebel…right?"

Wave nodded slowly. "Yes."

But Tatsumi didn't seem disappointed in Wave's answer, nor his resolution. In fact, it looked like Tatsumi expected those words to come out of Wave's mouth. He held up Adayusu once more as the puppets gradually closed in on him again. Kurome, looking bored, waved her katana forward to command her pets.

"Kill him already."

Before the puppets could attack Tatsumi, however, their fight was momentarily interrupted.

Lubbock flew across the hall and collided with Tatsumi, the two of them falling onto each other. Tatsumi groaned and slowly pushed his ally off, almost crushed by the speed of which Lubbock had hit him.

"Lubbock…?"

"Sorry…" Lubbock chuckled dryly, pointing out his index finger. "That thing was just too much for me…"

Tatsumi had no idea what he was talking about.

He looked up and saw what Lubbock was pointing at. A giant, muscly creature stomping ominously towards them. It was almost the same height of the actual building they were in, and just one of its individual teeth was several times larger than Tatsumi. He had no clue where this beast came from. Had the little dog with Seryu become that devilish thing?

Tatsumi tried to lift Lubbock back up, but his ally could no longer stand. He had only taken one punch from the massive creature but he was completely out of the battle. Only Tatsumi was still able to fight, somewhat.

As Coro, Wave, and Kurome's puppets strode towards the cornered Tatsumi, he found himself only smiling. Just by himself, Lubbock was able to neutralize Seryu, Boros, _and_ the Twins. It truly showed just how experienced and determined Lubbock was, and Tatsumi was comforted with the thought that they had at least gone down fighting. Looking at their situation now, it was obvious that this was the end for them. Thinking about it, they had already lost the moment the Jaegers had ambushed them. It wasn't possible for them to have ever gotten out of this place alive. This was their fate. Tatsumi didn't stand a chance against the three fighters still standing.

It would've been most logical to just drop his Imperial Arm and let the Jaegers do their work. He could picture the faces of his fellow villagers as he waited for the end, and leave this world peacefully.

Yet…

Yet, Tatsumi found himself still standing. He was still holding Adayusu firmly in his grip, and his heart was pounding furiously. He just didn't feel like giving up.

For whatever reason, he didn't want to surrender. It looked completely hopeless for him now, but the impulse of giving up hadn't taken over. He still wanted to fight, even if it was an impossible battle.

He hadn't made a difference yet. He hadn't even killed the _real_ Duvian, he hadn't even purged the smallest amount of corruption out of the Empire. He would simply die here, and never be known for anything. The Empire wouldn't even remember who he was, he would simply be called a 'traitor' and the people of the Empire would be glad about his death. Not even the Revolutionary Army would care, he would simply become another number in a list of statistics.

He didn't want that. He wanted to make a real difference. He wanted to change the world, to rid it of all corruption, conflict, and exploitation. If he died here, he would just become a nobody that hadn't accomplished anything.

Such a thing couldn't come to pass. He simply refused something like that happening.

The savage beast Coro approached Tatsumi first. Its growls echoed throughout the entire hall and rang in Tatsumi's ears, and he watched silently as it opened its mouth to swallow both him and Lubbock whole. It wouldn't even be a challenge for the monster.

Tatsumi closed his eyes and clenched the Adayusu as hard as he could. He knew he didn't have the strength to win, but he _wanted_ it, he desired it more than anything else. Even if it was just this one time, he wanted more power to save himself and his friend from their untimely deaths. It's all he would ever ask for…

Adayusu sparked.

Then it sizzled. Then it burned brightly in blue flames. Then it was completely engulfed in shadows.

Finally, it split into thousands of pieces.

Small wisps of shadows circled around Tatsumi the exploded outwards. They pierced through Coro's face and it immediately began bleeding. Wave stood back as the shadows around Tatsumi continued to burst out uncontrollable, and grimaced as one of the wisps hit against Grand Chariot's helmet and cut straight through it, leaving a fresh wound just under his eye.

He couldn't believe what was happening. The shadows were actually powerful enough to break through the Grand Chariot's armour.

"Kurome, get back!" he roared as he dodged two more wisps of the darkness.

Tatsumi stared, dumbfounded, as his scythe had become countless shadows that the Jaegers couldn't fight against. He didn't understand what was going on, but he noticed just how effective it was on his enemies, and realized that this was his opportunity.

"Lubbock!" Tatsumi quickly rushed over to his friend, picking him up and placing him over his back. "This is it, let's get out of here!"

Tatsumi suddenly yelped out, feeling a stinging sensation on his right leg.

He looked down and saw a large cut.

The shadows were from the Adayusu, and they only formed around Tatsumi, but they didn't belong to him. They couldn't be controlled, and Tatsumi himself was being cut by them as well. This had to be the payment of whatever this ability was.

Tatsumi ducked as another shadow darted his way. It just barely missed him, and he knew he couldn't dodge properly while carrying Lubbock, so he simply ran. The shadows pierced through the skin on his chest, left leg, and back, but he continued to run frantically towards the mansion's exit.

As Wave was hit by another shadow and fell backwards, he saw Tatsumi fleeing and pointed at the injured Coro.

"Stop him!"

The beast already had that action in mind. He had been cut more times by the shadows than anyone else because of its large frame, but its regenerative ability allowed it to still move properly. As one shadow tore out its left eye, it became filled with rage, dropped onto all-fours, and galloped savagely behind Tatsumi.

Wave watched as Coro leapt up into the air, opened up its jaws, and crashed directly into the rebel's location. From the sheer force of Coro's impact alone, a shockwave hit everyone in the building and sent Wave rolling across the floor.

Rubble picked up and the marble floor underneath all of them shattered and broke apart, tiny shards of what was left went flying into the air as Coro almost brought down the entire mansion. The building shook violently and all furniture had been swept aside, all the golden chandeliers attached to the ceiling came crashing down, and the pillars supporting the mansion cracked and gave way. The upper floor rocketed down towards them, and Wave was almost crushed as all of the rubble poured down onto him. The weight of the building came down onto the Jaegers and all of its cement had been completely grinded down to dust.

Wave coughed.

Thanks to his armour, he had survived, but now it was cracked and broken. He gradually pulled himself out of the rubble before letting the armour disappear and turn back into its key.

Most of the rubble had fallen on him, and the rest of the Jaegers were alright, though he saw Kurome's leg bleeding out quickly as she pulled it out from under a small pillar. It wasn't facing the right way, and Wave knew it was broken.

He raised his head, lifted up his own battered body, and smudged off the blood under his eyes. He looked at whatever was left of the mansion's interior.

And the assassins of Night Raid were nowhere to be found.


	17. No 16: Kill The Rules

**Hey there, it's time for the next chapter!**

 **With all of the planning, re-reading, and other stories to work on, this chapter took slightly longer than I had hoped, and I apologize for that. I do my best to provide the best chapters I can write, but it _does_ take me a bit of time for each one. I hope you understand, and again, I'm sorry.**

 **Special thanks to reaper27, jjgamer59, Daddy'sLittleAngie99, Helios61, Still A Lover Of Franchises, SunbroHypeTrain, dragonmaycry12, and TRYNDAMER95 for following/favouring this story!**

 **Seriously, you rock.**

 **Note: from this point onwards, I'll be answering all reviews written for this story at the _end_ of the chapter. I really want to respond to what you say.**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Sirens all around. Frantic lights shining down every alleyway and road. Soldiers rushing left and right, weapon in hand. The search had begun.

Tatsumi limped towards a wall and collapsed against it. He gasped and held Lubbock close to him. His friend was completely unconscious, and Tatsumi doubted that he'd remain awake for much longer either. He had been carrying Lubbock through the corner of streets for several hours now, his knees were in severe pain and everything was starting to look blurry.

With another gasp, Tatsumi sat against the wall and tried to catch his breath. The entire Capital was on lockdown now. After what had happened inside Duvian's mansion, and with the battle against the Jaegers, everyone was alert to the fact that rebel assassins were somewhere in their city. In all honesty, Tatsumi was surprised they hadn't been caught already.

He glanced at his arms and legs. Large, deep cuts had been painted onto him. They all stung terribly and Tatsumi knew that at this rate, he'd bleed out and die before anyone even found them.

These cuts had been caused by his Imperial Arm, Adayusu. It was thanks to his weapon that both him and Lubbock were able to escape the Jaegers, but the Adayusu's sudden boost in power also harmed and tore apart Tatsumi's flesh in the process. Thankfully, the Imperial Arm had now returned back to normal, back to its scythe shape. As a cloud of shadows, the Imperial Arm was utterly unpredictably and Tatsumi had hurt himself significantly while trying to use it. He didn't want to go through that experience again.

Still, Tatsumi's body was full of adrenaline. Somehow, he had battled against multiple Imperial Arm users and _survived._ Granted, he had plenty of help from Lubbock, but it was an impressive feat nonetheless. Not many people could truthfully say that they survived such a fight. Tatsumi wondered what the members of Night Raid would think of him now, would they see him as a dangerous assassin like themselves?

Tatsumi put pressure on one of his legs and tried to stand back up, only to wobble for a few moments and fall back down. He had forced himself to move for so long, but his body had finally reached its limits. His only choice now was to sit quietly in this alley and wait for strength to return to him, giving the authorities plenty of time to track him down. This situation was frightening to say the least.

"Tats…sumi…?" he heard a faint, weak voice.

He glanced down. One of Lubbock's eyes was open and he had a small smile on his face. His friend had finally regained consciousness.

"Yeah, it's me, Lubbock. I'm glad you're awake."

Lubbock was still lying down, his head placed carefully on Tatsumi's lap. He tried to raise his head up, but he couldn't. Lubbock's body wasn't in any condition to move by itself.

"Damn," he groaned softly. "I took a huge hit, huh…"

"Don't worry. You'll be fine."

"How…did we…escape…?"

"That giant-" Tatsumi began to explain. He wanted to call Seryu's creature a dog, but it didn't seem right. "Err… _thing_ crashed into the floor and knocked down a couple of the building's pillars. The whole place came down, and I used the commotion to get out of there."

"What…happened to the…Jaegers?" Lubbock coughed.

"I'm not sure. They were definitely still inside the building when it broke down. I have no idea if they're still alive or not."

"They aren't amateurs…" Lubbock muttered. "They probably got out as well."

Another siren blared, ringing agonizingly in Tatsumi's and Lubbock's ears. They both grimaced and waited for it to finally quiet down. The siren was far away, despite its high volume, and it let them know that the soldiers still hadn't reached their hiding area yet.

"Say, Lubbock," Tatsumi whispered. "How are you holding up?"

Lubbock paused for a moment, remained silent, then looked back at Tatsumi.

"From the pain…I think my ribcage is broken…"

"Oh…"

"Also, heh…I think both of my legs…are broken."

"Lubbock…"

Lubbock grinned and gave a dry chuckle. "Don't worry, man, this…is nothing…"

Tatsumi was utterly amazed.

There was no doubt that Lubbock was in terrible condition, but yet he was still clinging onto life and smiling as though he was absolutely fine. It reminded Tatsumi of just how much experience Lubbock had gained from his line of work after all this time, he had probably gotten into these situations before.

But this was all new to Tatsumi, and he was worried that even if he escaped, Lubbock wouldn't survive by the time they got far away the Capital. Lubbock needed immediate medical attention, but Tatsumi simply couldn't find the strength in himself to walk anymore. He was still unbearably exhausted.

"I promise, Lubbock, I _will_ get us home." he said firmly.

"Really?" Lubbock grinned again. "I'd…like that."

"Just hang in there, alright?"

Lubbock nodded, but Tatsumi could tell from his expression that was already close to losing consciousness again.

With a bit of energy back in his body, Tatsumi gave a second attempt to standing up. He propped himself on one knee and gradually put enough force into his legs to rise up. He was using the wall behind him for balance, but he was at least able to walk again. With caution, he reached down and pulled Lubbock up, then placed his arm onto his shoulder. With a growl of pain, he carried Lubbock carefully and began to walk. The wounds all over his body weren't helping, but Tatsumi pushed through.

Lubbock's feet was dragging against the ground as they moved forward, and Tatsumi worried that they were making too much noise.

Every time Tatsumi heard the sound of footsteps or voices, he'd carefully drop Lubbock and hide behind something. There were patrols practically everywhere, it was almost impossible to avoid detection.

But Tatsumi wasn't giving up. As lights shone down the alley, he knelt quickly behind a few wooden crates. He could hear people talking into the distance, their tones sharp, angered, and restless. It was obvious that they weren't going to stop until they found the assassins roaming the Capital.

"Tatsumi…put me down." Lubbock suddenly muttered.

Tatsumi glanced at his friend. "No way."

"You're just…slowing yourself down, man…"

"That doesn't matter." Tatsumi said, noticing another patrol down the alleyway and sitting back down in cover. "We're getting out of here, together."

As Tatsumi and Lubbock laid behind a food stand, they could hear the group of soldiers positioned close by. They were still a safe distance from them, but it didn't look like the patrol was going anywhere any time soon. They'd have to wait until the soldiers decided to move along.

"Say…" Lubbock spoke softly, his face still contorting with pain. "What happened…back in that mansion…?"

"Huh?"

"I…lost consciousness, and the rest…of the Jaegers had surrounded us. How…did we escape?" he gasped weakly. It was difficult for him to speak.

"I'm not sure myself," Tatsumi admitted. "Adayusu suddenly became a bunch of shadows, and attacked everyone out of nowhere, including me. It injured me pretty bad, but it gave us enough time to retreat."

"Shadows…?"

"Yeah,"

Lubbock hesitated. Tatsumi could tell by his expression that something had surprised him.

"What is it?"

Lubbock frowned. "Tatsumi, that sounds like Adayusu's Trump Card."

"Trump…Card?"

"You haven't heard of them before?"

"No."

"Well," Lubbock coughed, then continued. "It's a…thing that _some_ Imperial Arms have, and it's pretty damn powerful."

"That's a little vague."

"Yeah, well, Trump Cards can be vague themselves. Each Imperial Arm has a different kind of one, and their abilities can vary quite a bit. The only similar thing between them is that they give an upper hand to its user, but that they can also harm the wielder while in use."

"That sounds like what I did with Adayusu."

"Exactly."

"So I have my own Trump card…" Tatsumi said slowly to himself. "Huh, it'd be really helpful if it didn't keep cutting me as well."

Lubbock shook his head. "That's not what I'm trying to say, Tatsumi."

"Hm?"

"Trump Cards are something rare when it comes to Imperial Arms, only certain types actually have one. On top of that, you need to be fully compatible with the weapon."

"Wait…"

"You get it now?"

Tatsumi nodded. "Then…I shouldn't be able to use Adayusu's Trump Card."

"Yeah. You need _full_ compatibility with an Imperial Arm for that, but you're only _half_ compatible with yours."

"So…" Tatsumi trailed off with a frown on his face. "What exactly does that mean…?"

Lubbock paused for a moment and went completely silent. He raised an eyebrow, thought about it for a second, then shook his head.

"I've got no clue." he admitted. "It makes no sense."

"Oh…"

"But...I _do_ have a guess."

"What?"

"Maybe the rules don't apply to you." Lubbock mumbled, sounding unconvinced by what he was saying. "Maybe there's something about you that ignores the fundamental rules of Imperial Arms."

"That sounds pretty far-fetched."

"Yeah, I know it seems stupid. It's just the only thing I can think of to explain whatever it is you did."

The two stopped talking as the sound of footsteps began to echo.

For a moment, Tatsumi thought that the soldiers were moving into the alleyway to find them. He held his breath and remained as still as he could.

But the footsteps weren't getting louder. The soldiers were still oblivious to their location, and the two of them were still safe. Tatsumi sighed in relief and almost smiled at how easily he could become scared while in a situation like this.

The thought had crossed his mind that escaping would be a lot less risky if he wasn't carrying Lubbock with him every step of the way. Tatsumi was already slowed down because of his wounds, and pulling someone his own weight with him wasn't helping. His chances of survival would increase drastically if he just let Lubbock go.

But he wouldn't. That's not how things worked. If he was willing to let an ally die in the middle of an alley just so he could survive, he'd be no better than the people of the Empire. No, that wasn't who he was.

And Tatsumi remembered something important. During the first week of joining Night Raid, he had talked to Lubbock about a thing that had been bothering him for a while. Lubbock opened up to Tatsumi and admitted that he was in love with someone in the group, but that love was guaranteed to never flourish.

Lubbock decided to tell Tatsumi before anyone else, and it let Tatsumi know that his friend had someone they needed to get back to. There was someone important to him waiting for him to get back, Tatsumi had to make sure that he did.

Footsteps once more, but now getting gradually quieter. The patrol of soldiers had searched the area and come up fruitless, they were heading to the next street.

Tatsumi smiled. Finally.

He got back to his feet, lifted up Lubbock, and began walking again. For a second, he wobbled feebly and struggled, but he refused to remain still now that an opportunity had revealed itself. The street they were on was finally clear, they could make a run for the gates if they were lucky.

With unbreakable will, Tatsumi carried his friend and moved as fast as he could.

"Tatsumi…" Lubbock whispered with blood in his mouth, then fainted.

Tatsumi shook his head and kept walking, ignoring all of the pain being sent through his body.

He would get Lubbock home.

He would.

* * *

Four days had passed since Duvian's party.

The people of the Empire were outraged. Two assassins from the rebel army had breached the kingdom's walls and disappeared without a trace. There was no end to new protests, and all of the blame had fallen on the Jaegers.

It was their first proper mission to stop the rebel assassins, and though they were all capable Imperial Arm users, they weren't able to capture even one of their targets. Their public image had gone from a new group of protectors to fools that didn't know what they were doing. They were the new guardians of the entire Empire, but many people had begun to question just what they were good for.

The rest of the Jaegers seemed indifferent to the turn of events. It didn't look like they cared the slightest.

But Wave did. He told himself again and again that it was his fault. He was so confident in the power of the Jaegers that he never even considered the possibility that the two assassins could escape. If he had only pushed himself further and done everything he could to stop them from running…

Most of the Jaegers would recover in just a few more days, all except for the Twins. Relica had lost her arm to the green-haired assassin during their battle, and her sister had been overwhelmed in grief. The fact was that neither of them would remain in the group for much longer, since their Imperial Arm could no longer activate with one of their bracelets missing. Wave barely knew anything about the two sisters, but he felt sorry for them all the same.

Wave strode forward up the steps with a firm expression on his face. He didn't know why, but he had been summoned to speak on behalf of the Jaegers, all to explain the failure of their mission to capture the invading rebels. Just an hour earlier, he was a nervous wreck, but not anymore. After thinking for a while, he had found the strength in himself to answer for the Jaegers personally.

As he reached the top of the steps, he saw the Emperor sitting high up on the golden throne. It glittered elegantly in the light, and though their leader was but a child, it gave the Emperor an aura of absolute authority.

And beside the throne? The Prime Minister. He glared at Wave with his sharp eyes as he approached, looking slightly irritated. As he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick piece of meat, Wave looked away with a frown.

Esdeath was already in the room. She looked as calm as ever, and didn't show any reaction as Wave walked up to stand beside her.

"Ah, here's the kid now." Honest grumbled, his mouth still full. "We've got a couple of choice words for _you_."

Wave said nothing.

"Remember what you said, Minister." Esdeath warned ominously. "You'll talk to my subordinate properly."

It was a surprising thing, watching the Minister immediately nod his head obediently. He didn't even hesitate to follow Esdeath's orders, and chose not to give Wave a dirty look anymore.

Wave's frown furrowed. Just how much influence did General Esdeath have?

"I am here, as requested." Wave answered back finally, trying to sound as formal as he could.

"You're here to explain what exactly happened in Duvian's mansion, boy. Don't miss out any details."

"We engaged them after they killed Duvian's fake double, my lord." Wave spoke back immediately. "It turned out they were Imperial Arms users too, so we assumed they were members of Night Raid."

Honest's left eyelid twitched the moment he heard that name, but said nothing.

"And so, we fought them with full force." Wave continued. "But we underestimated their honed skills at combat, and they were able to escape by causing the collapse of Duvian's home."

"You are Imperial Arm users too, boy." Honest muttered back. "And you are supposed to be the most elite of elite. Even with that explanation, everyone knows that the Jaegers failed miserably at their task."

"We will still bring in all of the members of Night Raid."

"That isn't good enough. It's already pretty obvious we need a…change to our defences."

Esdeath nodded. "He's proposed that I disband the Jaegers and deal with the Revolutionary Army myself."

"Wha-?!"

"No hard feelings, boy." Honest chuckled, reaching into his pocket for more food. "I just don't want to spend the precious treasury of our kingdom on a team that…just _can't_ get the job done."

Wave wanted to yell at him that most of the kingdom's treasury was probably all going to the Minister's fat, grotesque stomach.

But he didn't. He was surprised by what the Minister was proposing, but he retained his composure. Perhaps an infuriated reaction is just what he wants, so Wave wouldn't be foolish enough to give him the satisfaction.

"I've already objected, of course." Esdeath said. "But the Minister here is insisting. I hoped you could change his mind."

Honest looked bothered. "Oh, come on now. I _know_ that you love the thrill of battle Esdeath, why do you persist to keeping your little team together instead of taking care of our problem yourself?"

"Because I see a great deal of potential in them, Honest. I have no doubts in my mind that they will all flourish into unstoppable warriors."

"But what about the Twins?" Honest pointed out. "They are no longer useful, and they were a big part of the Jaegers."

"That doesn't mean that the Jaegers will fall apart." Esdeath answered back with a sharp stare. "Besides, I'm working on…fixing that."

Wave glanced at the General, though she didn't look back.

Fixing? How exactly was she going to fix a problem like _that?_ The Twins had lost one of their bracelets; their Imperial Arm wasn't coming back no matter what they did. The only way they could 'fix' that was to find the rebel that had taken it, and that green-haired boy could've been anywhere in the world.

But it also made a little sense. Despite what happened to the Twins, Esdeath never chose to disband them. Normally, they would be sent out of the Jaegers if they weren't deemed necessary anymore. If Esdeath actually had some sort of plan for helping the Twins, it would explain why the Twins were still a part of the group.

Wave could tell by the look on Honest's face that he wanted to ask what she meant, but he chose not to.

No, he didn't _dare_ to. The Minister knew better than to pry into Esdeath's business, and he always took her word for it instead.

Still, it was obvious that the Minister didn't believe in the Jaegers. So far, only of the Empire's problems had been quickly solved by Esdeath, and Honest clearly preferred it when things were like that. He probably only allowed the Jaegers to be formed because Esdeath proposed it.

Well too bad. Wave didn't care what the Minister had gotten comfortable with. The Jaegers was the team that would the Empire and wipe out all opposition. They had failed to capture the wanted rebels, sure, but that didn't determine their worth as protectors.

"Minister Honest, I implore you to reconsider." Wave said.

"Why?" Honest scoffed. "I don't see any benefit to keeping you around."

"Really?" Wave responded, giving an amused grin.

"Huh?"

"That's strange." Wave said with a serious tone, looking as though he was in deep thought. "Because if I recall…the _Jaegers_ were the ones to save the real Duvian from assassination."

"Err, yes, well-"

"And," Wave continued, no longer allowing the Minister to speak. "If the _Jaegers_ hadn't done that, your entire army would've been weakened without all of Duvian's fundings."

"Um, perhaps-"

"Also, without the _Jaegers_ , you wouldn't even know anything about Night Raid's strength. Thanks to us, you now have the exact details about how two of their Imperial Arms work."

"But-"

"And Minister, please forgive me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the _Jaegers_ that prevented a complete takeover by a large portion of the rebel army?"

Honest's face had changed to a light shade of red. He couldn't deny any of the things that Wave had said. It was all true, and the Minister never even bothered to remember that.

Wave looked back at Esdeath, she was smiling.

"Indeed." Esdeath agreed with her arms folded. "Without my Jaegers, the Revolutionary Army might've already accumulated enough forces to launch a full-on attack against your precious Empire. What would you do then, Honest?"

Wave watched with secret entertainment as the Minister failed to respond.

He could see that the Jaegers were necessary, whether he liked it or not.

"Well," he eventually grumbled. "If…err…if you're absolutely certain of the Jaegers' potential…"

"I am." Esdeath said.

It felt undeniably good to see the Minister cower in defeat. He wasn't winning this debate, especially not with Esdeath by Wave's side.

"Then," Wave spoke after a moment of silence. "If this conversation is over, I'll take my leave."

"Not so fast." Esdeath replied.

Wave frowned. There was something else?

"From what I heard from my son, you've been getting too ahead of yourself, Wave." Honest suddenly growled ominously.

That's right.

Wave hadn't forgotten about meeting Syura, but he completely forgot that the guy was the son of the Prime Minister. Esdeath had already warned him about watching what he was doing, but it was inevitable that Honest himself would want to have a word.

With hesitation, Wave nodded. "I got into a disagreement with him, I must admit."

"I know." Honest hissed. "He said you tried to stop one of the Capital's public executions."

Wave knew full well that Esdeath was standing right next to him, listening to everything he said. She was judging every word that came out of his mouth, and if he didn't listen to her advice about holding back his temper, then this would quickly end far worse than Wave had imagined. It was obvious the Minister could do anything he liked, and that was worrying to say the least.

"I…" Wave mumbled.

"Hm?"

"I believed the execution to be…unnecessary. It didn't seem right to me."

"Oh?" The Minister grinned.

"But," Wave added, knowing that Esdeath was staring right at him. "I was wrong. It was…foolish of me to get in Syura's way. You…have my deepest apologies."

Wave's hands were trembling and his body was burning up with anger.

What the hell was he saying? That wasn't what he truly wanted to say at all.

But he didn't stop himself. He knew what needed to be done in order to stay with the Jaegers.

Honest and Esdeath both looked pleased.

The Minister took a few steps forward with a calmer expression on his face. "Ah, good. It's reassuring that you've realized your place."

"Yes…" Wave whispered.

"Now, if _anyone_ else had bothered my son, they'd be treated to…heavy punishment."

Wave said nothing.

"But…since you are one of Esdeath's subordinates, I can forgive you this once. Hopefully, for your own sake, you'll know how to show respect to my son properly next time."

"Of course…"

Every fibre in his body desired to speak out his true thoughts while he could. This didn't seem right to him in any sort of way, shape or form.

That execution _was_ inhumane. It was the absolute opposite of what the Empire was supposed to be. Wave knew that rebels needed to be punished for their sins, but to be stripped of their clothes, torn apart, and killed slowly…?

That was no way for anyone to meet their maker.

But as Wave found himself respectably bowing down to the sinful and cruel Minister…

He knew he was becoming their puppet.

* * *

Tatsumi knocked on the wooden door hidden behind thick, willow trees. By the time he knocked twice, his body immediately lost all its strength and Tatsumi collapsed.

It took a few moments, but Leone eventually answered the door and peered her head out.

"Tatsumi? Lubbock?" she called out, looking left and right.

The second she looked down, her expression was filled with horror. Tatsumi saw how she was looking at him and grinned.

"We…look…pretty…bad…huh…?"

Leone couldn't say anything.

Instead, she quickly rushed up to the two of them , grabbed them tightly in both her arms, and ran inside the building as fast as she could.

Both Lubbock and him were covered in blood, but Tatsumi was still somehow conscious. He watched as Leone carried him frantically into the main hall and placed him on one of the chairs. Everything stung as he was placed down, and he had no energy to even raise a finger. He could only watch things transpire around him.

Leone could tell that Lubbock was in worse condition, and handled him more carefully.

"Boss, you need to get down here!"

Tatsumi stared as Najenda came rushing down the stairs, and gasped as she saw the two of them. She quickly took Lubbock from Leone and smeared the blood off of his face.

Her hands were shaking. "I'll take care of him, Leone. Attend to Tatsumi."

Leone obeyed and sat down next to Tatsumi.

He could barely see her, his vision had become blurred, but he could tell that she was worried about him. She reached forward, took his shirt off, and immediately began wiping off the blood on his chest with a soft, moist cloth. It stung terribly, but it was cleaning him well.

"All these cuts…" Leone muttered. "You walked all the way here in this condition?"

Tatsumi nodded weakly.

"And…" he mumbled quietly. "I had…Lubbock…on…my back."

"You are one tough nut."

Leone kept scrubbing, making sure not to press too hard on any of his wounds. Once all of the blood had come off, Leone squeezed it out of the cloth into a nearby bucket, dipped the cloth back into clean water, and started working on his arms.

"Just what happened in the Capital?" Leone asked with confused frown. "It was a simple assassination mission."

"We…were…caught."

"But Lubbock is an expert at escapes. You two should've gotten out of there before it got hairy."

"No…" Tatsumi slowly said. "They…were…expecting us. They had…an elite team…called the…Jaegers."

"Were they strong?"

"They…were…all…Imperial Arm…users…"

Leone immediately stopped scrubbing. "W-What…?"

He could see the shock clear on her face. An entire team of Imperial Arm users serving the Capital was a frightening thought, and it made Tatsumi just as anxious as her.

"It was…the two of us…against them." Tatsumi explained. "It took…all we had…just to get out of there alive."

"Damn them all," Leone growled.

Tatsumi glanced down at his body and gave a small chuckle.

"How am I…looking?"

Leone inspected him closely for a few moments before responding. "Well, you're pretty lucky that the cuts aren't that deep. With the herbs we've got in storage, none of these should become permanent scars."

"Oh…" Tatsumi sighed in relief. "You should…attend to Lubbock instead. He's…in a much worse condition."

"Boss has got that covered, she's nursed Lubbock a _lot_ of times before."

"She has…?"

"Yeah."

Leone then placed the cloth down and shuffled her hand through her right pocket, pulling out a small, green and yellow leaf. It didn't look like any ordinary leaf, and had an unearthly smell.

"You probably want one of these, they're-"

Tatsumi nodded. "I already know what they are. Akame gave me one once."

"Oh!" Leone smiled. "So she's been taking good care of you, huh?"

"I guess so,"

"Okay, well, here you go."

Tatsumi quickly chewed on the lead and felt all sensations of pain fade away. Its effects were almost instant, and though he had used one before, its abilities still surprised him.

"Thanks, Leone. That's much better."

"No problem."

Tatsumi glanced around. "Say…where is everyone? Is it just Najenda and you here?"

"Yeah, the rest are out hunting. We're running low on food supplies."

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "Almost everyone left just to get food?"

"Hehe," Leone gave a cheeky grin. "We, err, eat a lot…"

With one hand, Leone lifted up Tatsumi's Imperial Arm and leaned it against his chair.

She looked at it for the longest time, the amount of which made Tatsumi confused, and her expression no longer seemed playful.

"The Adayusu…" she whispered.

"Huh?"

"It…looks different, doesn't it?"

"Different…?"

Tatsumi looked down at his Imperial Arm as well. It looked exactly the same to him, and he had no idea what Leone was talking about.

"I don't see a difference." he eventually admitted.

"Look at its handle."

With uncertainty, Tatsumi did as she said.

And he finally saw what she was looking at.

A bright red tattoo was present on the right side of the handle, its glow weak but ominous. It was true, Tatsumi had never seen that before. If such a tattoo had ever been on his Imperial Arm, there was no way he couldn't have noticed it until now.

But he had no clue what it was. It had two straight lines going up, and three curvy lines passing through it. It also had several small dots circled around it, and while Tatsumi could only guess what it was, it seemed like some kind of drawing. It wasn't the kind of drawing in which you could understand what it was trying to depict, but it definitely looked organized.

"Where the heck…did that come from…?" Tatsumi asked himself, watching the tattoo radiate a weak light.

"It wasn't there before, Tatsumi."

"I know that."

"Did you do something to Adayusu for that…thing to appear?"

"No." Tatsumi answered, shaking his head.

But he paused.

Actually, there was one possibility for how that tattoo could have made its appearance.

His train of thought was interrupted as Najenda re-entered the great hall with a tired look. She had a few bandages in her left hand, and she gave it to Leone.

"Patch him up now."

Leone nodded. "You got it, Boss."

As Leone leaned forward and wrapped Tatsumi in the thin, white bandages, Tatsumi found himself looking nervously at Najenda.

"Is he…" he hesitated. "Is Lubbock going to be alright?"

Najenda looked back at him with her purple, piercing eyes. "He's been through worse, he'll pull through."

"Worse…than now…?"

"Yes. I've seen him bounce back from far more dangerous conditions. Do not fret, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi nodded happily at the Boss. "Right."

As Leone tied up and adjusted the last bandage on Tatsumi, she patted him softly on the chest and laughed.

"Okay, you're all good now. You should heal up after a few days of rest. You don't have any energy right now, so just sit still and rest until you do."

"Sure."

Najenda took at a small cigarette, lighted it, and gave it a quick puff. "Tatsumi, I want a mission report, if it's possible."

Tatsumi's vision was already returning to normal and his voice was no longer cracked. It wouldn't be difficult to explain the whole thing.

"We were attacked by the Jaegers, the Empire's elite team of Imperial Arm users. They knew we were coming."

Najenda took another puff of her cigarette. "I feared as much."

"You know about the Jaegers?"

"Yes, I got a report of them from one of our spies, but it was already seven hours after you and Lubbock had left."

"Did you know that they were going to ambush us?"

"Not at first, but once I found out who is leading them, it was quite obvious."

"Who's the leader?"

"The strongest person in the Empire, Esdeath." Najenda said, her tone full of disgust. "She's an experienced strategist, I knew she'd see through our plan of attack and set up a trap, I just didn't know when."

"I'm sorry," Tatsumi sighed. "We couldn't defeat any of them, and the Duvian we killed was just a fake as well."

"Sorry?" Najenda repeated, her eyes widened in surprise. "Why on earth would you be sorry?"

"I shouldn't be?"

"No. You and Lubbock walked straight into Esdeath's trap, yet you both survived _and_ your Imperial Arms haven't been taken by the Empire. That is victory, no matter how you look at it."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm glad you and Lubbock got out of there. And to carry your teammate all this way in the condition you were in…" she trailed off, her eyes closing.

There was a long pause, and when Najenda spoke again, she had a gentle smile on her face.

"You are really something, Tatsumi."

He felt his face go hot.

He had expected her to be disappointed in him, or at least slightly upset that they hadn't achieved their goal, but she was nothing but relieved. She was even impressed by him, and considering what kind of amazing person Najenda was herself, that must've meant a lot.

He rarely ever saw Najenda smile, too. It was rather pleasant.

"Also," Tatsumi said, remembering what Lubbock had discussed with him earlier. "Lubbock was worried about something along the way."

"What?"

"In our battle against the Jaegers, we were able to escape using Adayusu's Trump Card, but Lubbock told me that's supposed to be impossible."

He watched as both Najenda and Leone stared at him in disbelief.

" _What?!"_ Leone cried out, her skin looking a shade lighter.

"It's true."

The two women glanced at each other, exchanged their frowns, and looked back at Tatsumi, still unconvinced.

"I'm sorry, Tatsumi, but that can't be right." Najenda shook her head, regaining her composure. "It's a strict rule that you need full compatibility with your Imperial Arm for such a thing."

"But Lubbock told me I was able to do it." Tatsumi insisted, wanting the two of them to believe him.

"You're sure of that?"

"Yes."

"Actually…" Leone muttered, obviously in deep thought.

Najenda looked at her. "What is it?"

Leone pointed at the Adayusu resting by Tatsumi's side. "Tatsumi being able to use Adayusu's Trump Card…might just explain _that_."

With hesitation, Najenda walked over to Tatsumi's chair and lifted the Adayusu up.

She held it close to herself, looking at it very carefully. She gasped softly as she saw the strange symbol at the handle of the Imperial Arm, and glared silently at its faint glow.

"This is…" she murmured.

"It just randomly appeared on Adayusu." Tatsumi said. "I can't really tell what it is."

"It's a letter." Najenda immediately answered back.

"Huh?" both Leone and Tatsumi said almost in perfect synchronization.

Najenda carefully placed the Imperial Arm onto the wooden table next to them all, continued to glare at the symbol, and folded her arms.

"I've seen it before, it's a letter belonging to the old language of this country. Tatsumi, I lent that book about Imperial Arms to you a few days ago, do you remember the strange writings inside it?"

Tatsumi nodded. "Yeah…I couldn't read any of it."

"That's where this symbol is from. I'm certain of that."

"Which letter is it?"

"There's no way of telling, that language has long since been forgotten. Only the most experienced of translators can really make sense of it, and we don't have one of _those_ people with us."

"What…" Tatsumi grumbled, scratching the back of his head. "What do we make of this, then?"

"For now, we should just remain calm and observe any other developments if they come along." Najenda said in a relaxed manner. "Refrain from using Adayusu's Trump Card anymore, as well. It truly makes no sense how you're able to do it, so it would be best not to pry further into it."

"Okay…"

As Tatsumi shuffled around uncomfortably in his bandages, his eyes met with his Imperial Arm once more, lying on the table in front of him.

He stared at it for the longest time, his interest in the weapon and all other Imperial Arms peeked. If it really was true that Tatsumi wasn't following the rules of how these weapons of legend worked, there was no telling just what exactly that meant for the future.

But as the old symbol glowed on the handle of the Adayusu, he knew that things weren't right. Forcing the usage of a Trump Card of an Imperial Arm simply couldn't be done, until Tatsumi managed to do it.

Was his will to survive that strong? Was there something about him that refused to abide by the basic rules that all Imperial Arms imposed?

He didn't have the answer. It was unknown to him.

But he would know, one day.

* * *

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	18. Author's Note 1

Sorry guys, I got bad news.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, all my stories need to be put off for a while. The delay will probably cause the next chapter to take two weeks (or more) to come out.

I'm really sorry for this, but my current situation is holding me back from releasing chapters as fast as I usually do. I hope you understand.


	19. No 17: Kill The Mysteries

**Hello!**

 **Thank you for waiting, I know this took _way_ too long, but as I explained in the previous Author's Note, this was inevitable.**

 **Special thanks to Koutarou, Brend839, firefoxtsunami, KryptonianKid, Tubbiestdragon, PMPatches, somjosh9, and RyB1 for following/favouring this story! You absolutely rock! :)**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The previous week had been calming.

Tatsumi finally found time to recover. Activities within the Empire had gone quiet, and Night Raid hadn't been given any new orders. All they could do was remain at the base and wait to see how things developed.

Najenda had told Tatsumi that one of the representatives of the Revolutionary Army had deemed Night Raid's mission to kill Stephen Duvian as a complete failure. They had also sent a rather long and hostile letter, carried by a raven. Tatsumi didn't get to read it himself, but he heard that no one was happy with the fact that Duvian was still alive. Despite escaping successfully and embarrassing the Imperial guard, the representative made it clear that he didn't want these failures to happen again.

Tatsumi didn't really want to blame himself. He did what he could, as did Lubbock. No one could've pulled it off. The Jaegers had anticipated the attack.

Now, he was simply glad that he could rest. He still had strange, reddish marks on the back of his neck from his encounter against the dangerous Imperial Arm 'Rubicante', along with multiple cuts around his body from using the Adayusu's secret ability. The burn marks weren't going away any time soon, and Leone had told him that the cuts would take a while to fully heal, so he wasn't in great shape.

Tatsumi walked up to the wooden door and knocked once.

There was a short pause. "Come in."

He stepped inside with a smile on his face.

Lubbock had also recovered a bit. He had only woken up the day before, but Tatsumi was relieved to see the guy still up and kicking.

"You're looking better." Tatsumi commented as he moved over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh, can't complain." Lubbock mumbled.

He looked frustrated, Tatsumi could tell.

Lubbock obviously wasn't the kind of person to stay in bed, so being in it for so many days must've been taxing on him. With a small huff, Lubbock tried to at least lift his head off the pillow, but couldn't even manage to do that.

"You think you'll be up soon?"

Lubbock sighed. "I damn well hope so. Miss Najenda said I can't get up for _three_ more weeks. It's killing me."

"Three weeks? Sounds like you're making a quick recovery."

"Not quick enough." Lubbock scoffed, then pointed at a bowl full of leaves near his bed. "Akame went out and got me a bunch of these things. Apparently, they'll help."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Akame also got me leaves that numb your pain for a while. She's an expert with all these wild herbs, isn't she?"

"Well, she _did_ spend a lot of time in the wild."

"She did?"

"Yeah, but you didn't hear that from me."

Tatsumi frowned.

There was something he had noticed for a while now, but it still bothered him. No one wanted to talk about Akame's past. They'd either get uncomfortable, stop short, or pretend like they didn't say anything.

Was there a detail they didn't want him to know? It was the only reason he could think of. Not even Akame herself wanted to talk about her past, despite the fact that he told his.

"Hey, I gotta know…" Lubbock whispered.

Tatsumi blinked. "What is it?"

"Who nursed me this whole time? Was it Leone again?"

"No, it was Najenda."

All of a sudden, all colour drained from Lubbock's face.

"No…" Lubbock whimpered softly.

"Huh?"

"Not again…"

"Say what?"

Lubbock looked like he was about to burst into tears.

" _Miss Najenda was the one to nurse me, and I didn't even see it!"_ he suddenly screamed.

"So?"

Lubbock looked enraged. " _So?_ I was unconscious the whole damn time, man! What if she was wearing a nurse uniform while taking care of me?! I totally missed all of it!"

"I, err…" Tatsumi responded slowly. "I doubt that happened."

"How would you know?!"

"…You're completely air-headed."

Tatsumi found himself chuckling softly though.

This guy, who seemed to care about nothing but women, was still somehow the genius of the group. Tatsumi had watched as Lubbock was able to make things out of Cross Tail that no one would normally imagine, and not only that, but he was also able to manage it in the middle of a heated battle.

There was no doubt about it, Lubbock was a genius.

But…

"Ack! _I'll never get to see Najenda in a nurse costume now!_ " Lubbock cried out, trying to smother himself with his own pillow.

Tatsumi sighed and shook his head.

"I'll check up on you again later." he said as he moved to the door. "Try to get some more rest."

"Huh? You going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I've got more training to do for the next mission."

Tatsumi left the room, immediately turned right, and walked over to the outdoor area.

Even while recovering, Tatsumi had been studying vigorously under both Bulat and Akame. The two of them were indescribably strong, and seemed to be willing to train him whenever he wanted to. They had both been incredible help, but Tatsumi wasn't near their level yet.

He stepped out into the open area with a small pond, and saw Bulat standing by the water, waiting for him.

But when Bulat looked at him, he wasn't smiling. Tatsumi expected that.

"Little brother…" he muttered softly. "Who did it? Tell me."

Tatsumi already knew what he was asking about. He wanted to know about Lubbock's injuries. "The Jaegers. Special force of the Empire. Lubbock did his best, but we were outnumbered."

Ever since Lubbock came home with his ribcage broken and his body battered, Bulat didn't seem to be his useful, happy self. He was not only worried about his fallen friend, but Tatsumi could tell that he was angry, too.

"They're the new team with Imperial Arms, right?"

"You knew?"

"Najenda told me about them recently."

"Oh."

"The moment I heard about them, I knew they'd be trouble." Bulat said as he dipped his hand into the pond and splashed water on his face. "I didn't think the Empire would've capable of making such a team…"

"Why not? You didn't think they'd have Imperial Arms of their own?"

"Exactly." Bulat nodded. "They shouldn't have so many."

"Why's that?"

"Where do you think _our_ Imperial Arms came from, Tatsumi?"

"I don't know."

"The Empire. It came from them. All Imperial Arms were created then stored there. The ones we have now are all stolen."

"You mean…" Tatsumi said as he pointed to the silver sword strapped to Bulat's back. "Even Incursio's key?"

"Yes. It was originally used in their army. Being a suit of armour _far_ more durable than any other, they would test soldiers if they were compatible with it. And once they found one, that soldier would become the leader of the cavalry."

"Woah," Tatsumi spoke out loud. He had never even thought about the previous owners of all the Imperial Arms that Night Raid possessed. "Do you know how many people have used it before you?"

"Who knows?" Bulat answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "Could be a thousand, could just be three people in total."

"So, the Revolutionary Army stole _all_ the Imperial Arms in the Empire?"

"Well, we _thought_ we did. Obviously, there are still plenty left for them to use. I read the report you gave to Najenda, all of those Imperial Arms sound dangerous, especially the one identical to mine and that organic one."

"Oh, you mean the giant dog?"

"Yeah, did it actually look like the way you described it in the report?"

Tatsumi quickly nodded. "Believe it, that thing was _massive_. It was also super fast somehow."

"Something like that is going to be difficult to kill."

"Difficult? I'm sure you can handle it."

"No…" Bulat mumbled with a groan. "Don't be so sure about that."

"Huh? Why not?"

"That beast might take a couple of us to defeat, maybe even _all_ of us."

"But…it isn't that strong."

"Wrong. It's an organic-type Imperial Arm. Those things are immeasurably strong."

"Organic-type?"

"A type of Imperial Arm that is basically 'alive'. They all possess cores and almost instant regeneration. You can take its head and it'll grow it back in moments."

"W-What…?"

"It's never reassuring to hear that you have to battle against one of those things." Bulat grumbled, sounding more annoyed than afraid. "They can be a real pain."

Tatsumi thought back to that giant dog.

It _was_ immeasurably powerful, and now he knew that the thing could heal itself as well. That did not settle well with his nerve.

"Oh…"

Bulat slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. It'll make things a little harder, but we'll handle it."

"Big bro…"

"Just leave it to me." he winked.

"Y-Yeah!"

He knew he could rely on Bulat.

The amount of power that guy held in him was rather astonishing. Bulat always seemed to have even the most dangerous situations under control. Tatsumi was secretly happy that Bulat was on _their_ side. If he had been fighting for the Empire…

"Tatsumi. Bulat."

Tatsumi turned around. Someone addressed them.

He saw Akame slowly approach from the door. She stepped out into the outdoor area, glanced him for a few moments, then continued to speak.

"You both need to come inside."

Bulat frowned. "That tone…is something wrong?"

"I do not know. Najenda has summoned all of us to the Great Hall. It seems to be very important."

"You look a little worried, Akame." he spoke extremely calmly.

Tatsumi looked at Akame and was completely confused.

Her expression was blank, as always. There was no emotion to be found on it, and furthermore, her voice didn't sound any different either.

Tatsumi frowned. Was Bulat just assuming how she felt?

"It's true." Akame slowly nodded. "I am worried. I believe Najenda wants to send us to an incredibly dangerous mission."

Tatsumi almost fell over.

Bulat…was _right_ …?

He didn't understand how Bulat managed to know how she was feeling. It made no sense to him at all.

Tatsumi watched as Bulat made no comment, but instead decided to see what was going on. He walked forward and Tatsumi followed quickly behind him. It seemed like training would have to wait.

But he could feel his heart race. What kind of mission was coming up that could even make someone like _Akame_ feel anxious? Was it an actual suicide mission? Was there something coming that none of the members of Night Raid could handle?

Tatsumi gulped down nervously and tried to calm himself.

There was only one way to find out.

* * *

Everyone was already in the Great Hall by the time that Tatsumi got there.

Just one look at Najenda's face said everything. Whatever it is she wanted to say, it was extremely serious. Tatsumi moved in closer and stood next to Bulat. Akame was the last one to join.

"As you all are aware…" Najenda started, immediately going for a cigar. "We have not made much progress thus far. We have taken down Zank and Velix, but the Empire remains firm. We had our first opportunity to weaken them by killing Stephen Duvian, but we failed."

Tatsumi couldn't help but feel a sting in his chest every time someone mentioned that mission. Najenda had already told him that he shouldn't feel guilty over it, but he couldn't help it.

"But it seems that Night Raid has found its second opportunity to attack the Empire." Najenda suddenly added.

"Huh?" Mine spoke out loud, interrupting the boss. "You mean, we can finally make a move?"

"That's right." Najenda nodded. "With our first official mission failed, I expected the Revolutionary Army to have second thoughts about us, but they've given us a second chance."

"What kind of second chance?" Bulat asked.

"Recently, our spies and recon teams have noticed something a little strange. A small shipment of cargo has been transferred to different parts of the Empire, all in random patterns."

"What's so strange about that?"

"Two things." Najenda muttered. She paused to exhale smoke from her cigar, then continued. "Firstly, it's the same cargo. According to the reports, it's a brown box that weighs approximately eighty four kilograms. It's never been opened, and the Empire has done its best to keep it concealed."

"And the second?" Tatsumi asked, not seeing the importance of the cargo.

"Secondly…"

The room went cold for a moment.

"Secondly, the constant movement of the cargo has always been personally overseen by General Esdeath." Najenda answered in a grim tone.

Tatsumi felt the atmosphere of the hall change in an instant.

Everyone's expressions turned dark, even Akame's. Tatsumi watched, completely bewildered, as Night Raid shuddered from merely hearing her name. He didn't know why everyone feared her so much, but he was slowly getting an idea of just how dangerous she must be.

Bulat was the first to speak after a long break of silence, sounding uneasy. "You can't be serious."

"I am, Bulat. The reports were very clear about this particular fact."

"…This is bad."

"Indeed." Najenda agreed with Bulat, then looked back at the rest of the group. "You all know what this means. Esdeath would never concern herself with anything trivial. This cargo is being moved by her, regularly. It's obvious that whatever is inside must be valuable."

"Like what, exactly?" Leone asked.

"It's difficult to say. We won't know until we acquire the box itself. We'll open it up, see what Esdeath's been protecting, and send it straight to the Revolutionary Army."

"But if Esdeath is in charge of safekeeping that cargo, there's no doubt that she would make frequent visits to its location herself." Bulat noted.

"That is correct." Najenda answered slowly. She took a quick look at everyone's faces, glanced down at the table in between all of them, and heaved a heavy sigh. "I know. This is only Night Raid's second mission, so accepting such a risky task seems foolish. In fact, in the report it said that we can choose to completely ignore all this if we want to."

"Really?" Tatsumi sounded surprised.

"Yes. The representatives of the Revolutionary Army _are_ curious about what the cargo is, but they aren't willing to lose valuable soldiers just to acquire it. This mission has been strictly labelled 'optional'."

Tatsumi nodded. It made sense to just leave this matter be. If you played with fire, you'd only get burned.

But at the same time, Night Raid had failed its first mission. People in the Revolutionary Army were beginning to doubt Night Raid's effectiveness, and that frustrated Tatsumi. This was cargo protected by the Empire's strongest. If they were to steal it from right under her nose…

"I have planned a stealth mission, but only accept it if you want to. If two of you can enter the area and take it, fantastic. If not, we'll wait for a few more weeks until another mission is given to us."

Night Raid was completely silent.

"So…" Najenda spoke quietly. "Any volunteers?"

Everyone paused.

They watched as Bulat's and Tatsumi's hands went up at the exact same time.

Tatsumi glanced at his friend but didn't question his reasoning. Bulat wanted to be a part of this mission, that's all that mattered.

As for himself, Tatsumi wanted to show that he could be reliable. He had failed Night Raid's first mission for them, so he felt the need to redeem himself. This mission didn't sound safe at all, and Tatsumi still had very little experience, but something was telling him that he had to volunteer.

"Are you two sure?" Najenda asked after staring at them for a while. "This is your only chance to back out."

Tatsumi didn't lower his hand. He looked at Bulat. He didn't either.

"Especially you, Tatsumi." the boss looked at him worriedly. "You're still recovering from your injuries from your last mission."

Tatsumi responded by pulling out a few leaves from his pocket. "I got plenty of painkillers, I'll be fine."

"Night Raid has failed its first mission, and if it skips out on its second, it'll only make us seem incompetent." Bulat muttered, his tone serious. "Leave this to us. We'll get it done."

"Najenda looked slightly relieved. "Alright then. You should get moving immediately."

"Right."

"And," Najenda quickly added. "Tatsumi?"

He turned around. "Yes?"

"There's a good chance that General Esdeath will be there. If you see her, you are _not_ to engage her. You will retreat the moment you set eyes on her, is that understood?"

Tatsumi felt a little down.

He had no intentions of fighting the strongest in the Empire, but it looked like Najenda didn't have faith in him.

Truth be told, he had never seen Esdeath yet. He had only heard tales about her from Night Raid, but from those tales alone, he was slowly getting an idea of how frightening a person could be.

"Understood." Tatsumi eventually answered.

"Good. Get moving."

Bulat and Tatsumi quickly turned on their heels and moved out.

There was no denying that Tatsumi was pushing himself hard, but he didn't want to admit it. Being injured wasn't going to stop him. After allowing Lubbock to be hurt so badly by the Jaegers, he knew he couldn't forgive himself until he proved his worth to Night Raid.

He would've normally been anxious to head out on such a mission, but Bulat was with him on this. As long as that was the case, everything would go just fine.

Bulat placed a hand on Tatsumi's shoulder. "You ready, little brother?"

Tatsumi paused.

He gave his friend a smile and nodded. "Let's go get that cargo."

* * *

"Damn it."

Fists flew forward.

Wave stood firm and threw three more punches. His swings collided furiously against the punching bag and he breathed heavily. He could already see bruises forming over his knuckles, but he didn't dare stop.

Sweat dripped down his cheek and he punched again. It felt like all energy had been drained from his body. He could feel himself reaching his limit, yet he kept swinging his fists over and over. He had lost count of how many punches he had landed, though the count meant little to him. He would simply keep it up until he could no longer stand.

He paused as a left hook tore through the punching bag. Its fabric ripped apart and all the foam inside slowly poured out.

Wave groaned.

He stopped, reached up, took the punching bag off the hook, and placed it next to all the other ripped ones.

He quickly found another punching bag, attached it to the hook, and continued without blinking an eye.

"You _really_ need to stop this." a voice spoke calmly from behind him.

Wave didn't stop punching, but turned his head to see Run enter the training room.

"I'm fine."

"You've been in here for hours."

"I know that."

"I think your knuckles are bleeding."

"You have to work through the pain."

Run sighed as Wave continued to hit the punching bag.

It was true that his knuckles were stinging, but Wave believed that to be a part of his training. If he tried to avoid feeling pain at all times, he'd never get anywhere.

"Oh dear," Run said worriedly as he glanced at the pile of torn-apart punching bags on the floor. "Just how many of these things have you gone through?"

"About seven," Wave panted as he threw another fist.

"These bags aren't cheap, you know."

"If they weren't, they wouldn't rip so easily." Wave scoffed.

"I highly doubt _any_ kind of punching bag could endure that much punishment."

There was a pause.

Despite not looking at his friend, Wave could tell that Run was staring at him. He ignored him the best he could and kept hitting the bag. He was just being a bother right now.

"You're not training here to get stronger, are you?" Run suddenly asked.

Wave halted.

He stopped and remained motionless for a few moments.

"What are you talking about?"

"This is all out of frustration, I can tell."

Wave frowned. "I'm not frustrated."

Even so, Wave stepped away from the punching bag.

"You can't lie to me, Wave. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's reading people."

"I'm okay, seriously."

Run shook his head. "Something is biting away at you."

"I've just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Is Syura and the Prime Minister one of those things?"

Wave instinctively glared at him. "You heard?"

"Almost everyone in the Empire has heard. It's not every day that someone opposes Syura's executions, let alone someone that is supposed to be loyal to the crown."

"That bastard is sick. He killed a young girl right in front of me, just to prove a point."

"That's what has you so mad?"

"I…" Wave began to answer, but stopped. He thought for a moment, then changed his mind. "No, that's not it."

"Then, what's wrong?"

"I'm more mad that I have to bow down to someone like him. The Prime Minister forced me to swear loyalty to him and abide by everything that Syura does. I…can't take it."

"Why's that?"

"Because I feel like I'm becoming their puppet."

Run looked the other way, folded his arms, and spoke in a slightly deeper tone. "…why did you join the Jaegers, Wave?"

"To protect people, obviously."

"Even if it means working for men and women that execute their enemies indiscriminately, like Syura?"

Wave didn't need to think about his response. "Yes. There will always be people like him, but the innocent civilians of this Empire need our help. I'll do whatever I can to keep them safe, and when the time is right, I'll deal with Syura myself."

Run grinned. "That's…a good mind-set."

Wave tried to rub his knuckles to dampen the pain.

He had known Run for around a month now, but he still did not understand him. There was no real way to get a read on Run's personality. For the most part, he seemed calm and collected, but at times he would…change. Sometimes he was disappointed in Wave, but other times it almost felt like he admired him.

Still, Run was surprisingly supportive most of the time, and Wave had found himself enjoying the company of the quiet man.

"You were right, my hands are bleeding." he eventually chuckled, wiping off the small drops that had torn through his battered skin.

"That's what happens with physical exercise. It's far too savage." Run answered with a sigh.

"You don't train at all?"

"I train my mind with books, does that count?"

Wave looked at him with a blank expression. "No, it doesn't."

Without warning, he heard the sounds of commotion from down the hall. There were voices of several men and one woman, and the sounds only got louder and louder.

Wave almost jumped as the door to the training room burst open.

Esdeath was stood there, surrounded by countless men following desperately behind her. She looked incredibly annoyed, but the men were attached to her by the hip and were refusing to leave her be.

Wave watched in complete confusion.

"For the last time," Esdeath grumbled. "None of you are any good. Get out of my sight."

"Please reconsider, my General! I am the man you are seeking, give me a chance!" one of the men cried out, holding Esdeath's hands in his.

The General immediately pulled her hands out of the man's grasp and sighed. It looked like she had been dealing with these men for a long time, and she had an exhausted look in her eyes.

Wave took a good look at the men fawning over Esdeath. They were all middle-aged, around her age, and wore expensive clothes. He could tell by the way the talked and walked that they were noblemen. Their jewellery glimmered around their fingers, almost boastingly.

Eventually, Esdeath snapped her fingers and finally smiled. She took a step back from the crowd of men and spoke calmly.

"Very well, if you read the letter on what I'm looking for in a man, then you know what the late and most important condition is, right?"

A blonde man nodded slowly. "The man has to be strong, right?"

"That's right." Esdeath said, holding out one hand. "If one of you can lay a finger on me, you shall be my lover. Doesn't that sound fair?"

That got the men riled up.

They got ready, put themselves into different stances, then pounced.

Obviously, they thought it was going to be easy. They all rushed forward and tried to tap or poke her, in order to win.

As the first man ran towards her and stuck his arm out, Esdeath stepped to one side, grabbed his head, and smashed him directly into the wall behind her. The man immediately lost consciousness and slumped to the ground. The other men paused for a moment, stared at the General, then advanced again, but this time they were cautious.

Another man approached her, ducked down, and tried to touch her leg. He must've thought she wasn't expecting anyone to try to touch her there.

Instead, Esdeath looked completely bored as she raised her left foot and kicked the man right in his nose. He yelped and tumbled backwards, blood gushing out of his nostrils. With a whimper, he retreated backwards and gave up.

The last two men seemed the most determined. They descended upon Esdeath at the same time in order to gain the advantage. One man stood in front of her while the other quickly attempted a tackle from behind. He leapt forward and reached his arms out, but all Esdeath had to do was hold a firm hand up and watch him go head-first into it. Her fist hit into the man's face and he almost fell, but kept his balance and waited for his friend to attack as well. The two men darted towards from both sides so that she couldn't escape.

"You people are pathetic, all of you." she sighed.

She kicked both of their legs at the same time, watched them stumble over, then finished them off by grabbing them by their robes and tossing them onto the floor. They fell feebly and one of them landed on his arm, breaking it with a loud and painful crack.

None of her admirers could even stand up anymore, and they had to slowly drag themselves across the ground and out of the room. Wave looked at them and saw the changes in their eyes. At first their eyes were full of love, but now there was nothing but fear. They quickly scrambled to the door, completely terrified of the General.

Esdeath stared as they crawled away, then sighed again. She took her hat off and glanced at Run and Wave.

"Sorry you had to see that, those pests have been following me all day."

Run didn't look surprised. "Well, with that poster you released, this was to be expected."

"Wait…" Wave said, his face contorted in confusion. "What poster? Am I missing something here?"

"Ah, you didn't hear?" Run looked back. "Four days ago, Lady Esdeath ordered a poster to be spread out across the Empire. It caused quite an uproar."

"What kind of poster?"

Esdeath answered instead. "It stated that I am looking for a significant other, and that they had to meet a certain criteria."

"You mean…" Wave spoke slowly, his body frozen solid. "You…want a lover?"

"That's right." Esdeath responded casually.

This was one of the last things that Wave ever expected to happen.

Esdeath was respected and feared by millions. Everyone knew who she was and how she was an unstoppable force that fought for the Empire. She had been considered more like a living weapon rather than a person.

And to be honest with himself, at times Wave thought the same way.

"You look a little pale." Esdeath commented.

"Oh, err, sorry. I was just…surprised, that's all."

"Surprised about what?"

"That you want to fall in love."

"Why wouldn't I?" Esdeath asked with a tone full of curiosity, her head tilted to the side.

"Um, nevermind."

Run cut into the discussion. "But I must say, that was quite the bold move. You even gave such strict rules about your potential match."

"What rules?" Wave asked out of curiosity on what Esdeath would be looking for.

"Oh, there were several of them." Run muttered, placing a hand on his chin. "The person has to be 'cute'. They have to be male. They must be as pure as can be. The list goes on."

Wave immediately turned and stared at the General.

Cute…?

"But it was the _last_ one that got people riled up." Run added.

"What was it?"

They both looked at Esdeath and watched her laugh before answering.

"They must be almost as strong as me." Esdeath quoted herself.

Wave almost fell over.

She was raising the bar far too high. He knew that if someone was going to be paired with a General, they couldn't just be some nobody, but this was a requirement that no one would be able to reach. Esdeath's strength knew no bounds. There wasn't anyone out there that could match up to her.

He knew he had to tell her that. She was only getting her hopes up.

"I'm sorry, General, but I don't think you'll find someone like that. Not even us Jaegers are on your level."

"Well, they don't need to be as strong as me. I'm just looking for a certain amount of power."

"What amount, exactly?"

"Hm…" Esdeath hummed. She obviously didn't have a particular scale in mind until now. It took her a while to decide. "If they can land a direct hit on me, that would be enough, I suppose."

Wave thought for a moment.

Well, it wasn't impossible. Perhaps there was at least one person out there that could catch her off guard and hit her, even if their attack did nothing. No ordinary person could pull it off, but it wasn't completely out of the question.

"You know," Esdeath continued. "Thinking of the rules I set, you actually are…"

Wave gulped down nervously as Esdeath stared at him with sharp eyes.

Her eye contact was held on him for the longest time, and Run began to chuckle.

"Ah, does Wave meet the criteria?" he asked.

Esdeath stared at him for a little longer, then shook her head. "No. It's a close one, but you're not it either."

Wave wasn't sure if he was supposed to be disappointed or relieved.

The leader of the Jaegers was a strange one. Wave couldn't find a way to see her in any light other than an anomaly. He knew he could rely on her if things on the battlefield got too hairy, but that was only because of her immeasurably strength. When it came to talking to her, he didn't know if he was talking to an actual person or not.

But he never told her that. In fact, he didn't _dare._

"But that's not what I came here for." Esdeath said, putting her hat back on. "Before I was swarmed by those buffoons, I wanted to update you two on something."

"What is it?" Run asked.

"I'm heading for the outskirts of the Capital, around the North side. There's a mountain there that I must reach the peak of. I won't be back for a few days."

"But why, my Lady? The Jaegers need you here. If the rebels or Night Raid launch their second attack against us, we need our orders."

"That's what the Minister will be doing. If anything develops while I'm gone, listen to Honest and act accordingly. It shouldn't be a problem for you all."

"What about the Twins? Should I write a report and send them back to their homes?"

"No, Run. I'm not done with those two yet."

"They cannot use their Imperial Arm anymore, my Lady."

"I'm well aware of that. That's why I'm making this expedition in the first place. I have something guarded at the top of one of the tallest mountains in the country. I haven't had a chance to use it for quite some time, but this may be the perfect opportunity."

"You…seem to care a lot about the Twins." Run noted in a soft tone.

"They are necessary. The Jaegers need them." Esdeath nodded, and even Wave could tell that she wasn't revealing something.

"Don't you think it's about time you told us about them? We don't know where they came from, and none of us have even seen their faces."

"Patience, Run. That will all come in time."

"At what time, my Lady?"

Esdeath turned her back. "Perhaps when I return."

Wave already knew about her visits outside the Empire.

She had gone off multiple times since the Jaegers were formed, and now she had even revealed that it had something to do with the Twins. After Relica of the Twins had lost her arm, Esdeath _did_ say that she had a plan for that. What was resting at the peak of a mountain that could help their case?

Ever since that day, Wave felt guilty for what happened to Relica. He didn't know much about the Twins, but they had both fought valiantly by his side before, and he wanted to help them if he could. If Esdeath would allow him to see what she's planning, then…

"Um, General?" Wave blurted out just as Esdeath stepped out of the room.

Her blue eyes found his and she stared. "Yes?"

"Do you mind…if I accompany you on your journey?"

"You wish to come?"

"Yeah."

"There's nothing to do there, you know. I'm just making a visit to a guarded site. You would probably get bored."

"That's fine. I just want to check it out."

"Why?"

"I've, err, been holed up in the Palace for so long." Wave lied, doing his best to convince the General. "I'd like to get some fresh air in my lungs. As a sailor, I'm not used to just settling down in one place."

"Hm."

"Please," Wave quickly added.

The General hummed a bit more, looked at him intently, then eventually sighed.

"Very well. If you want to come along _that_ much, I don't see the harm." she answered, causing Wave to relax. " _But."_

Wave almost panicked as she continued. "But…?"

"If you want to see what I have protected at that site, you're going to be disappointed. I cannot let anyone see it until I have specific orders to use it."

"Is it something dangerous?"

Esdeath grinned sadistically. "Extremely."

Wave fumbled nervously, but knew he couldn't back out now.

He left the room and followed behind Esdeath as she strode forward.

There was actually one more reason he wanted to go on this trip with the General.

It was something he had thought of a while ago. Esdeath was the strongest person in the Empire, and despite having a powerful Imperial Arm, it's still unknown how someone could be such an unstoppable force. There was something more that he was missing. There was something that made her so strong, and Wave desperately wanted to know what it was.

Grand Chariot was powerful in its own right, but Wave desired more. He had the idea that if he stayed close to Esdeath and slowly became more and more like her, he'd understand the true reason behind her strength and apply it to himself. He didn't mind if he had to change himself a little. Sticking near to Esdeath was the only way he could become an unstoppable force as well.

But as the sailor stared at the icy General walking in front of him, a question came to mind.

It was the kind of question that made him shiver upon thinking of it, but it was also something that lingered in his head and wouldn't leave.

He didn't know the answer to the question. He had a feeling he didn't want to.

How much was he willing to become like Esdeath before he became someone completely different?

His throat tightened.

He _really_ didn't want to know.


	20. No 18: Kill The Treasure

**Hello, I've got the next chapter out for you!**

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 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Tatsumi was strapped up and ready to go.

He had a simple brown jacket on, but with several plates of armour underneath it. It was the first time that he was wearing actual armour and made him slightly uncomfortable. It also felt unnatural to have under a jacket, but he didn't want to get all cut up again, so it would have to stay on.

"Alright, get geared up." Bulat suddenly said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Your weapon should be in that storage room. Go get it, I'll wait outside."

Tatsumi nodded. "Okay."

Bulat left the building and Tatsumi sighed. The two of them were going to have to walk all the way to the outskirts of the Empire… _again._ That trip would at least take a day.

Tatsumi walked over to the door that Bulat had pointed to. He hadn't noticed the massive door in the base, even though it was in the middle of the Great Hall.

He gripped the handle, pulled, and watched as the display of Imperial Arms was revealed.

There they all were. The Cross Tail gloves, the Lionelle belt, the giant Extase, the Pumpkin…

They all caught Tatsumi's eye, but he found his attention more directed towards the Imperial Arm sitting in the middle of the storage room.

The Murasame.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen it, but it had always been in Akame's possession. Now it was just…sitting there.

Tatsumi scratched the back of his head. Of course it would be in storage as well. It wasn't like she would go to bed with it and such.

He stared at it for a few moments longer. It was undeniable that the Imperial Arm interested him. According to Akame, a single cut inflicted upon a living being would cause instant death, which sounded extremely dangerous. He wondered how easy fights would become by wielding such a weapon.

Actually, now that he thought of it, the Murasame wouldn't be able to do much to those with their skin covered. He hadn't even realized it yet, but it didn't make him any less intimidated by the Imperial Arm.

Tatsumi's stare lingered on the sword for a little longer, and he remembered what Najenda had once told him.

 _If you can hold the Imperial Arm without any strains, you are compatible with it._

Tatsumi knew he shouldn't. It wasn't his Imperial Arm. It belonged to Akame.

If anyone found out, there would be no telling what punishment he'd be given.

Still, his curiosity was winning out. No one would find out. No one was around to catch him, and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

He slowly inched closer to the blade, studying it carefully. It glimmered back the small amount of light in the room and reflected back Tatsumi's curious gaze.

Tatsumi looked at his own reflection, then hesitantly reached out for the weapon's handle.

He held the Murasame with his right hand.

For a moment, he was completely struck by fear. He didn't think he actually had the guts to hold such an Imperial Arm, but it was now in his grip. At first he stood frozen, unable to move, then gradually began to relax.

This…wasn't too bad.

He was so afraid of the blade, but it felt nothing more than a normal weapon. He inspected it closely, feeling its weight, and was surprised. He didn't know what he was expecting, but holding the Murasame didn't seem any different than holding any other kind of sword. He could hardly tell that it was special.

"Huh, I guess I'm compatible with-" he started to chuckle.

Then all the energy in his body was quickly drained and he collapsed to his knees.

He couldn't believe how weak he had suddenly become. His eyes widened, he gasped out desperately for air, and let go of the Murasame.

It was just like when he had tried to use Spectator. Just by holding the Murasame for a minute, all the strength in his body had been seeped away. It had completely knocked the wind out of him, and he had to sit down in order to recover.

This was the sensation of using an Imperial Arm you aren't compatible with. Tatsumi hadn't felt the sensation in a while, but he was reminded of just how unpleasant it was. He never wanted to go through it again.

Gradually, he put his hands to the floor and pushed himself up. He propped himself up onto one foot, breathed deeply for a few moments, then put the other leg forward and stood up properly.

He felt incredibly groggy, but the effects were already starting to pass. He leaned himself against a nearby wall and sighed.

"Definitely not compatible with the Murasame, then." he whispered quietly.

He was disappointed, but he had expected such an outcome. He had yet to find the right Imperial Arm, and the Murasame just didn't fit that role.

Still a little dazed, he reached his hand out again and took the Adayusu instead. He grabbed its handle and strapped it to his back, then moved slowly out of the storage room.

He had let his curiosity get the better of him. He promised himself it wouldn't happen again. The Murasame wasn't his to use.

With small steps, Tatsumi left the room and carefully closed the door behind him.

And just as he closed it, he looked at the Murasame one last time.

Maybe another day.

* * *

They had been running for hours.

Tatsumi collapsed near a tree, sit down beside it, and tried to catch his breath. His heart was beating rapidly and sweat was dripping down his forehead. He hadn't gone through this kind of exercise for quite some time, and his body was obviously not adjusting to it yet.

But as he glanced at Bulat, he didn't see a single sign of tiredness or exhaustion from him. There wasn't even one drop of sweat on his face.

"Tired already, little bro?" he chuckled.

Tatsumi groaned. "Just…give me…a minute…"

The assassin nodded and sat down beside Tatsumi. The two of them were getting extremely close to Esdeath's camp, so no harm would come for them to have a rest before proceeding.

"Remember what Najenda said." Bulat noted.

"To not fight Esdeath?"

"Yeah. If luck is on our side, she won't be at the camp, but if she is we do _not_ want to go in with a direct confrontation."

Tatsumi sulked slightly. "Still, it kind of hurts that Najenda doesn't think I can take her on."

"No one can, Tatsumi." Bulat responded with a sharp tone. "She is the strongest in the Empire. There isn't anyone that can rival her power."

"But, you might be able to…right?"

"As I said before, that's hard to say. I'm confident in my abilities…but…"

"But?"

"But that woman is something else."

Tatsumi gulped down nervously.

"So, you want to tell me why you tried to use the Murasame?" Bulat suddenly asked.

That caused Tatsumi to almost fall over.

He waved his hands frantically and tried to act innocent. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"C'mon, little bro. I saw it with my own eyes."

"You…were there?"

"Yeah, I was going to step outside but I saw a look on your face. I knew you were up to something."

"So you spied on me?!"

"Yes, I did." Bulat answered casually, as though nothing was wrong with such an action.

Tatsumi looked indescribably worried. "Please don't tell Akame…"

"Oh, I won't." Bulat smiled, patting him on the back. "I just want to know why you did it."

"It was just stupid of me."

"Did you want to see if you could use it?"

Tatsumi nodded, feeling embarrassed. "Yeah…"

"Heh, well I guess Imperial Arms _do_ have that certain allure."

"I just want to find the right weapon. I'm the only one in Night Raid that isn't fully compatible with their Imperial Arm."

Bulat looked at him. "You're not the only one."

"Huh?"

"Akame isn't fully compatible with Murasame either."

"R-Really?"

"Yes, she cannot access its Trump Card yet. You aren't the only person in Night Raid with that problem."

"Oh…"

"Alright," Bulat murmured, getting up. "If you're feeling better, let's keep moving."

"Yeah, right behind you."

They began moving again, though they were no longer running.

The two of them had reached the forest surrounding the camp. With the thick cover of the trees, they were able to look out at the target area without being seen. Tatsumi was the first to look out into the distance, and he was overwhelmed by the amount of soldiers stationed around.

The place was heavily fortified. If they attacked the camp head on, they still stood a good chance of getting in, but it didn't seem like the smartest choice.

"What do you think, Bulat?" Tatsumi whispered.

They couldn't be heard by the distant soldiers, but Tatsumi felt the impulse to whisper anyway.

"It's as the reports said, wherever they set up their camps its always guarded well."

"That's not good news for us."

"Yes, but it makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"Wonder what?"

"What is so important that Esdeath would sacrifice so many soldiers to guard? These men could all be on the battlefield right now, fighting off occasional rebellions, yet they've been positioned here."

"It's an Imperial Arm, I'm sure of it." Tatsumi suddenly said without thinking.

Bulat turned and stared at him. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know, but I've got a gut feeling telling me so."

"If that's the case, why wouldn't Esdeath just use it?"

"Maybe she can't? Maybe she tried and couldn't, but it's valuable enough for them to protect from rebels?"

Tatsumi was completely speculating, trying to get information where none existed, but Bulat gave a slow nod.

"Hm, you _might_ be on to something."

"You think so?"

"Yes, but for now let's focus on the mission." Bulat rose up slightly and scanned the camp carefully. "It doesn't matter what it is, Najenda wants us to take it."

"Right."

They approached cautiously, gradually seeing more and more of the camp. There didn't seem less guarded from any angle, the place was surrounded completely.

Bulat looked out for a few more moments, then slowly began to nod his head.

"I've figured out the way in."

Tatsumi looked at him in disbelief. "Wait…you have?!"

"I believe so…but we'll need to get a little closer. If we can just get past the entrance, I can handle the rest."

Tatsumi had no clue what kind of strategy Bulat had in mind, but he knew he had to follow the assassin's lead.

He trailed behind Bulat quickly as the two of them left the cover of the forest and hide among the shadows cast by the camp itself. The entrance was getting close, and since Tatsumi had never hid under the blanket of a shadow, he was surprised by how effective it was. He was so close to them that he was almost certain that the soldiers could see him, but they didn't even notice him.

"Okay, you did good." Bulat commented as they knelt down, barely any distance away from the soldiers guarding the entrance.

"Thanks." Tatsumi responded, though he knew all he did was follow Bulat. He didn't do anything special.

One soldier looked their way, his surly expression slowly becoming dark.

"What's wrong, mate?" the other soldier asked, glancing at him.

The soldier stared a little longer at the shadows. "Hm,"

"You see anything out there?"

Tatsumi's heart began to beat rapidly in panic.

"…No, it's nothing." the soldier eventually answered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm just seeing things."

The other soldier cracked a joke that made the both of them laugh, but Tatsumi didn't hear it properly.

He realized he had been unconsciously holding his breath out of air, and gasped out immediately. He was surprised he didn't notice earlier.

"We're in the clear." Bulat whispered.

"I thought he spotted us for a second."

"No, this cover's far too thick. We're in luck."

"So, what now?"

"We need to take out the entrance guards."

"How many are there?" Tatsumi asked, knowing that Bulat's senses were far keener.

"Five."

"Should be easy."

"Yes, but if even one of them makes a noise, like a shout or something, the entire camp will be alerted to our presence."

It made sense to Tatsumi. "What should we do then?"

"I'll take out the four on the right side of the post, you take out the two in the middle. We'll have to hit them faster than they can react."

"I…don't think I can move that fast."

"I've seen your speed, it should suffice for this." Bulat smiled back, but it didn't raise Tatsumi's confidence.

"Okay, just give me the mark."

Bulat's eyes suddenly widened. "Hold on."

"Huh?"

"That's interesting."

"What is?"

"Look at that guard over there."

Tatsumi followed his orders and looked at the man Bulat was pointing to.

It was a soldier, young, with short blonde hair and a sharp facial complex. He had his helmet off, holding it under one arm, and he patrolled slowly around the entrance posts.

"Err, the blonde guy?" Tatsumi asked, not sure why he was staring at the guard.

"Yes. Him."

"What about him?"

Bulat paused for a moment.

Tatsumi was worried that something was wrong, but Bulat had something completely different he wanted to announce.

"He's _really_ handsome."

Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. "…what…?"

"Don't you think the same? Just the shape of those cheekbones…"

"Uh,"

"And it's amazing how well he takes care of his hair, just like me."

"Uh,"

"What a shame." Bulat sighed, genuinely sounding upset. "But he needs to die."

Bulat got off his knees, onto his feet, and rushed out of cover.

Tatsumi panicked but swiftly followed.

The first two soldiers noticed them immediately, but the assassins moved faster.

Bulat ran past them, but Tatsumi stayed back and kicked both of the soldiers backwards. They yelped and were swept off their feet, and though they got back up quickly, Tatsumi was ready to silence them.

One opened his mouth to sound the alarm, but was interrupted as Tatsumi's fist met with his jaw. The soldier bit on his own tongue and begun to bleed, distracting him long enough for Tatsumi to hit him again, harder this time.

The soldiers crashed into each other and fell weakly onto their backs. This time, however, they weren't given time to stand.

Tatsumi took the Adayusu off his back, swung it high into the air, and looked at the two young men with his regretful eyes.

"Sorry."

As the Adayusu was swung back down, the soldiers were reduced into a pool of blood, nothing but a few chunks of flesh remained of them.

The crimson blood splashed onto Tatsumi's jacket and face, but he didn't notice. Instead, he turned around to see if Bulat had taken out the rest of the guards.

And sure enough, there were no more guards in sight. Bulat walked back to Tatsumi and glanced down at the two corpses.

"Neatly done." he commented.

"Thanks."

"These men were pushovers. I thought Esdeath's soldiers would've been stronger than that. Carry the bodies into the trees and hide them later."

Tatsumi stared at Bulat, just realizing that Bulat suddenly had Incursio's armour on. "You used Incursio?"

"Yeah, didn't want to take any chances. Cut them down with this before they could move." Bulat spoke, summoning a weapon into his left hand.

Tatsumi was startled by the sudden appearance of the weapon, but looked at it closely. It seemed to be some sort of mix between a halberd and something else. Its pole and handle were silver, but the sharp part at the end was coloured in a dark red. He couldn't tell if that was actually its colour, or if it was the stains of the soldiers.

"I thought your Imperial Arm was just armour."

"Nah, this Neuntote comes with Incursio. It's extremely helpful."

"I see." Tatsumi mumbled, noticing that he still didn't know everything about Bulat's Imperial Arm.

"Also, we're going to need Incursio for this next part."

"Next part?"

"I said I had a plan, remember?"

"Oh, right. What's the plan?"

"You're already aware that some Imperial Arms have Trump Cards, aren't you?"

Tatsumi nodded. "Yes, why?"

"Well, check this out."

Tatsumi looked at Bulat, expecting something to happen. At first, nothing did.

Then, without warning, Bulat began to fade into the environment around and soon disappeared. That caused Tatsumi to panic immediately, as his partner was no longer anywhere in sight.

"B-Bulat?" Tatsumi called out in a whisper, thinking that his eyes were playing a trick on him.

"Calm down, Tatsumi. I haven't moved from my spot. I'm right here."

Tatsumi was completely dumbfounded.

He could hear Bulat, but couldn't see him. Was this the Trump Card of Incursio?

"You're…invisible." he said to himself in disbelief.

"That's right. I make my Imperial Arm blend in with my surroundings like camouflage. It's a hidden ability of Incursio that not many people know about."

"Woah…" Tatsumi said mindlessly, still trying to believe something like invisibility was possible. "But…I thought Trump Cards were supposed to be dangerous to use."

"Yeah, and this one is no exception." Bulat explained. "I can't maintain it forever, and once I turn off the invisibility, I'm hit with an extreme physical strain."

"Oh…"

"But." he continued. "It's all we need for me to infiltrate the camp, take whatever cargo is inside, and get out."

"Why did we need to get to the entrance first?"

"As I said, this Trump Card's got a time limit. Now that we're closer, it should be a lot easier for me."

"Oh, I get it." Tatsumi answered, then frowned hesitantly. "But once you start carrying the cargo with you, people will be able to see you."

"I'll figure that part out later."

"Sounds risky, Bulat."

"It's our best chance of getting the cargo without confronting the soldiers or Esdeath, if she's here. It has to be done."

"Still…"

"And listen to me, little bro." Bulat spoke firmly, his tone changed. "If I'm caught, the camp's alarms will go off. If you hear those alarms, _run._ You got that?"

"What about _you?_ "

"If I'm able to get out of there after being spotted, then great. If not, you have to abandon the mission and retreat back to Night Raid."

"I won't do something like that!" Tatsumi protested angrily, feeling heated.

"You have to, Tatsumi. No good will come with the both of us going down in this mission. Promise me."

"I…"

"You'll run if you hear those alarms. _Promise me._ "

Every fibre in his body told him to refuse. He couldn't possibly just leave someone behind like that, especially someone like Bulat. Even if it meant the both of them being killed in action, he wanted to stay.

But he could hear the strain of pain and desperation in Bulat's voice, and knew that his request wasn't one that could be turned down. Tatsumi lowered his head in defeat.

"I promise."

There was a pause, then Bulat spoke in a more cheerful fashion. "Thank you, little bro. I'll be right back."

And Bulat took off.

Tatsumi couldn't see Bulat or hear his footsteps, but after a few moments he knew his friend was gone.

All he could do now was wait and hope that Bulat made it back in one piece. With Incursio's convenient ability to cloak itself, it seemed like luck was on their side.

And yet...something told Tatsumi that something terrible was about to happen.

* * *

Wave arrived at the camp at midnight, and the cold bit into him even with his coat on.

There were a few delays, but both him and Esdeath had made it here like they planned to. Neither of them talked much along the way, but he could tell that Esdeath had something to say.

She turned around, looking completely comfortable in the chilly weather. "Remember, Wave, you're not to touch anything. We're only here for a short while, so behave yourself."

"Yes, ma'am!" he said obediently.

He had been secretly dying to come here.

One reason was to get out of the Empire for a bit. He had been holed up at the Palace for so long that he felt trapped in there. It was refreshing to be out in the open for a bit.

But the more important reason was because of his curiosity. While the Jaegers were struggling to take down the small rebellions that would arise around the Empire, Esdeath had been hiding something here all this time. He knew she said she wouldn't tell him what exactly she was protecting, but he hoped she would change her mind or at least give a hint as to what it could be.

Still, he was pretty far away from the rest of the Jaegers, now that he thought about it. He hoped they were doing okay, and would be able to manage without him or Esdeath. There hadn't been any reports of more rebel attacks, but there was never any way to be sure.

He had grown fond of his allies. Doctor Stylish and Seryu worried him, and he questioned what their real intentions were, but the Jaegers were trustworthy as a whole. He just wished that the Twins could get back on their feet.

As Wave approached, the countless amount of soldiers glared him down, but quickly stood aside as they saw Esdeath walking beside him. None of them dared to even slightly obstruct their path into the camp, and Wave couldn't tell if it was out of respect or fear.

Perhaps both.

But one man did approach them as they came around the corner. He was bearded, tall, but rather bulky. His hair colour was brown but had a few hints of going white, and his soft eyes immediately caused the situation to become less tense for Wave.

"Ah, our General has decided to pay us a visit." he chuckled, shaking hands with Esdeath. His accent seemed to be of those in the Empire, but still sounded slightly foreign. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Hello, Hagrus." she smiled calmly. "I'm here to pick up the package. I think it's been sitting in this camp for long enough."

"Oh, you're finally going to use it?"

"Perhaps. I have someone back in the Capital that might need it."

"I see." he spoke slowly, then turned his head to Wave. "And who is this young fellow?"

Wave realized he hadn't said a word yet. "My name's Wave, trained sailor, sir!"

"Heh, no need to be so formal. I don't need to be called 'sir'." he grinned, looking entertained. "A new recruit of your army, Esdeath?"

"No, he's part of the Jaegers." she answered.

"Ah, the Jaegers. I've heard of them. My men have been passing stories around about their accomplishments. How are they holding up?"

Esdeath gave a quick shrug. "They all have a lot to learn, but they've done a good job of eliminating rebels trying to get through our walls."

"That's good to hear." he commented, then noticed how Wave had a small shiver because of the cold. "How about we talk more inside? I'll have one of my men bring you a drink."

Hagrus held out an arm, and the two followed behind him.

He escorted them to the middle of the camp, where all the tents were located. One tent was far larger than the others, and was sporting the colours of the Empire with ribbons tied to its corners. Wave found it odd and slightly embarrassing how the tent was somehow bigger and more luxurious than his house back at home.

They all entered at the same time, and sat down at the table in the middle. There were paintings scattered around the interior, with depictions of grand ships sailing across seemingly-ferocious waves.

Not only did Hagrus seem to be a fan of art, Wave noticed that he probably had an interest in the sea as well. The two had something in common, then.

"I tell you, General, you came at a good time." Hagrus sighed as he got comfortable in his chair.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"My men have been getting restless. Even an old dog like me can see it. They want to be out there, in the field of battle, yet they're stuck here babysitting something…and they don't even know what it _is_."

Esdeath didn't seem concerned. "When they enlisted into my army, they knew they'd be following my every order. Just because they want the thrill of battle doesn't mean they'll get it."

"Still, their warrior spirits crave the battlefield."

"And they'll be there soon. They just need to be patient."

Wave listened to the two of them talk.

He wondered what Hagrus' position was. It was strange, but the well-built man emitted an aura of someone with high authority, more than just the leader of a camp.

"Excuse me, Hagrus?" he spoke out hesitantly.

The bearded man looked at him with a smile. "Yes, lad?"

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"Haha!" Hagrus swung his head up and laughed. "Ohoho! Forgive me, young man, I didn't even introduce myself, did I?"

"N-No, sir."

"I'm Hagrus, master commandant of the great Lowestoffe. Retired, obviously, but still operating in the military as Esdeath's lackey."

"The great…Lowestoffe?" Wave repeated. He didn't know what it was, but it sounded awfully familiar.

"A ship that once sailed for the Empire's royal navy. It would lead other ships into the sieges and map out their strategy."

Wave immediately turned to look at Hagrus again. " _You were the captain of a ship?!"_

Hagrus seemed surprised by Wave's sudden reaction, the young man now having a strange sparkle in his eyes.

Esdeath sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, Hagrus, I should've mentioned that Wave himself is also a man of the sea."

Hagrus finally understand, and smirked happily. "Oh, I see! Then you and I are kindred spirits, Wave!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" Wave laughed back, in shock of his good fortune. He always wanted to meet someone like Hagrus. "I…I have so many questions!"

"Well, you two have fun with that." Esdeath said as she got out of her seat. "I'm going to check the cargo."

"Very well, General, we will remain here." Hagrus answered as she stepped out of the tent.

There was a short pause filled with silence. Hagrus stared at the entrance to the tent for a bit, as though making sure of something, then turned back to Wave.

"Wave," he spoke almost in a whisper. "Esdeath said you're part of the Jaegers, right?"

"That's correct."

"What kind of work do you do there?"

Wave was slightly confused. The two of them were supposed to be talking about their interest in the sea, but Hagrus was suddenly asking him about something completely different, and he looked a little uneasy too.

"We protect the Capital, spending most of our time in the Palace. All we really do is raid small rebel camps and make sure none of them ever manage to get inside the Empire."

"But why gather Imperial Arm users for such simple errands?"

"Well, the Jaegers were also formed to counter the assassination group 'Night Raid', but we've only encountered them once."

"And…are you satisfied?"

Wave paused, then frowned. "Satisfied?"

"Are you happy with the position you've been given?"

Wave knew better than to simply speak out his mind. It was true that he _wasn't_ happy, but he couldn't just go around telling everyone that. His problems weren't to be shared.

Yet, there was something about Hagrus that was trustworthy. Wave couldn't quite tell why, but he felt as though he could speak the truth to Hagrus without worries.

"I have to admit, Hagrus, no." he eventually answered honestly. "I feel like I'm becoming a puppet."

Wave was half-afraid that Hagrus would burst out angrily and call him a traitor, but instead Hagrus nodded knowingly.

"It happens to many good men that join the Empire. They join to fight for the innocent, but slowly become pawns of Minister Honest instead."

Wave felt slightly worried. "Should we be saying this out loud, though?"

"Don't worry, lad. Esdeath's gone and my men are on stand-by. We can talk freely here."

"Then…can you please tell me more about the Minister?"

"Hm? Why?"

"I don't know much about him, but as he's the one really ruling the Empire, it seems like important information to be missing out on."

Hagrus scratched his beard. "Honest sort of…came out of nowhere. He ain't a foreigner, he was born and raised in the Empire, but no one really knew him at first. He gradually climbed the ranks, found his way to the top, and though some rumours about his questionable methods spread he eventually became the Emperor's advisor."

"No one knows where he started?"

"No one, and I think the Minister prefers it that way."

"Just how much influence does he have?"

"Don't be fooled, lad, he's the _real_ Emperor. Anyone that he didn't like were quickly put out of business once he came to power, including me."

"You?"

"As I said, I was the master commandant of the Lowestoffe, a beautiful ship that had travelled to all different parts of the world. I sailed to extravagant countries, saw unbelievable things, it was the proper way any man should live."

"So what happened?"

"As I slowly aged, I could feel that my youth had left me. I wanted to pass on my rank to someone else and sail off to another country with the Lowestoffe. Honest didn't allow it. He wanted to keep the ship for himself."

"But…it was _your_ ship!"

"That's what I thought, and I refused to listen to him. I gathered my crew, climbed aboard the Lowestoffe, and left this country. I was halfway to the nearest province from here, when the Imperial Fleet caught up with us. Honest figured he'd rather have the Lowestoffe sunk than let someone else have it, and that's exactly what happened."

"The Lowestoffe…was sunk…?"

"Yes. The Fleet fired down on us relentlessly, many of us died, and those who didn't were immediately arrested. Once the Lowestoffe had been destroyed, the survivors, including myself, were taken back to the Empire."

"That's awful." Wave commented, a hint of loath in his tone.

Hagrus shook his head. "That wasn't the end of it. He accused us of trying to _steal_ the Lowestoffe from the Empire, telling me to my face that it was never mine. As such, we were charged with treason, and sentenced to death. The men remaining of my crew were executed the next day."

"What about you?"

"Esdeath came to me, told me she can save me from that fate. She had heard of my many journeys and my performance in battle, and thought I'd make a valuable addition to her army. That was five years ago, and here we are now."

"Hagrus…" Wave whispered, trying to take it all in. There were many things he wanted to say to the disgraced sailor, but he could only say one of them. "I'm so sorry."

Hagrus' expression lightened up a bit. "Ah, I don't need pity. Don't worry about it at all. I've had my time for mourning."

"Right…"

"I just want to warn you, since you seem like a good kid." he spoke selflessly. "Never forget what you're _really_ fighting for. Don't let Honest do to you what he did to me."

Wave looked at Hagrus firmly, and answered back with absolute respect. "Yes, sir."

He felt more sorry for Hagrus than anyone else before. This man wanted nothing but peace after serving the Empire for so long, but instead had everything taken away from him.

Wave lowered his head and saw his hands shaking. He was angry.

The Minister would pay for this, he'd make sure of that.

* * *

Bulat felt like his body was being torn apart.

He pretended that he wasn't feeling any strains, but he was only fooling himself. Even after wielding Incursio for so long, its invisibility was difficult to maintain.

Still, it was almost over. He had made his way through the heart of the camp without anyone spotting him. He simply walked past all the patrolling soldiers, watching in slight amusement as none of them could see him.

He had finally located where the cargo was being kept too. At the northwest section of the camp was a structure with several steps going upwards, and was the most well-guarded area, making it obvious to Bulat that what he was looking for was up there. He counted at least twenty soldiers positioned in front of the steps, their weapons at the ready.

But with Incursio's invisibility, Bulat casually brushed past them and headed up the steps. Incursio's cloaking ability also made it impossible to hear any steps Bulat made. The only noise that could be heard in this state was his voice, which was undeniably convenient.

Bulat looked up. At the top of the stairs were four pillars surrounding a stone hut. The entrance was to the hut itself was unguarded, much to Bulat's relief.

He made it to the top and almost froze on the spot.

Someone _was_ in front of the hut.

General Esdeath.

She was standing right outside the hut, looking out into the distance.

She seemed to be in deep thought, not moving from her spot. She simply stared out at the forest below, not even turning her head once.

Bulat was never more appreciative of Incursio's invisibility than now. If she had seen him, it would've all been over.

He carefully walked beside her, stepping into the hut without a single reaction from her. Once he was finally past her, he began to relax again, and moved quickly to the cargo inside.

He was expecting something intimidating, but there was nothing inside but a massive crate. Wooden, sealed up with metal locks. The locks looked tough, but it wasn't anything that Bulat wouldn't be able to just break off.

The crate was rather large, however, and it only made him wonder what could possibly be inside. He walked closer up to the crate and traced a hand over its surface. His instincts were telling him that something incredible inside, something that no one had seen before. He couldn't explain how he knew that, he just did.

Since he still had time to spare, he reached both of his hands out and decided to take a look within. He wanted to see what exactly he was trying to steal, what could possibly be considered so valuable to the Empire.

But he couldn't.

He heard footsteps. Someone else was entering the hut.

He saw Esdeath walk in, her eyes focused on the crate. She must've come in to take another look at it. Her expression was blank and she showed no emotion as she strode to the centre of the room and stared lifelessly at the cargo.

Bulat remained calm. This was fine. Both him and Esdeath were in the same room, but he could just stand there and wait until she left again. He would just wait her out.

But she didn't leave.

She didn't turn around and walk back out.

Instead, her eyes ever so slowly scanned the room, and she was eventually glaring right at Bulat.

For a second, he thought it was just a coincidence that she was looking in his direction.

But as she begun to smile, he knew he was dead wrong.

And her grin was as cold as ice.

"I know you're there."


	21. No 19: Kill The Adayusu

**Hello!**

 **I've done everything I could to bring this chapter out as soon as possible, sorry if the wait between chapters is too long, I really do apologize.**

 **Special thanks to Dreamin'Princess, Tacbon20, Spartan Ash, 11jmartinez2003, Johnny Spectre, turn forever you and me, and Andeh91Chu for following/favouring this story.**

 **You're just awesome. Thank you for giving this story a chance.**

 **And without further adieu, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Bulat panicked. He was stuck in a room with the strongest in the Empire.

Not exactly the best position to be in.

"How…can you see me…?" he asked out of disbelief.

Esdeath grinned. "I can't see you, but I can sense your presence. Just making yourself invisible doesn't mean you can hide from me."

For a moment, Bulat considered the action of darting straight for the exit and making a run for it.

But Esdeath didn't allow such an opportunity. Like a flash of lightning, she ran forward and kicked him, sending him right through a wall and outside of the hut. Bulat hadn't expected so much force to be behind one simple kick and crashed into the ground, rolling down the steps leading to the hut.

The worst scenario he could be in had become reality.

He quickly got to his feet and watched as Esdeath casually walked out of the hut herself. She didn't use the door, but instead exited through the hole she had made in the wall.

Bulat realized he was feeling weak. He looked down at his armour and saw a massive crack in the chestplate. Just from that one kick, she had managed to break through Incursio. He knew she was strong, but this was simply overdoing it. No one should have this much strength.

"General Esdeath." Bulat mumbled, summoning Neuntote into his left hand. "You're the last person I wanted to run into."

"I don't know you, but it seems you know me. How amusing."

"You have a reputation."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"You're not the target right now, but since things have turned out this way, I'll have to eliminate you."

"Oh my," Esdeath smiled happily, clearly entertained. "Please, eliminate me then."

Bulat was no fool. He was an experienced soldier.

He knew just how dangerous Esdeath was, and despite being strong himself, he didn't want to risk it here. If he could, he would try to escape the area in the midst of the fight. In the heat of a battle, Bulat found it much easier to leave his opponent's sight.

His mind wandered to Tatsumi. He had told the boy to run if the alarms went off. But, for some reason, Esdeath hadn't called for help yet. If she sounded the alarm now, the entire camp would corner him. It seemed like the most logical choice.

"Not going to sound the alarm?" he asked, carefully observing the General as she slowly approached him.

"If I did, you'd be arrested on the spot, and that's far too boring. You're an Imperial Arm user, right? I want you to dance for me first."

Feeling energy leaving his body, Bulat deactivated Incursio's invisibility technique. He would have to be in top shape to face off against Esdeath.

As Bulat and his Imperial Arm were revealed, a small sign of shock momentarily flashed onto Esdeath's face.

"An armour-type…and it's similar to the Grand Chariot as well…" she murmured, then clapped her hands together. "Ah, I see now. You must be that rebel that defeated my subordinate, Wave. Which means you're also from Night Raid."

Bulat remembered that name. Wave, the name of the soldier that he had fought once.

He felt slightly disappointed in Wave now, despite not knowing him well. He was a brave kid with a passionate spirit, but if he was working for Esdeath he would only know sorrow.

"Now, please, show me your strength." Esdeath said almost pleadingly, taking out her rapier. "Let's see what Night Raid has to offer me!"

She charged forward and Bulat did the same.

They swung their weapons at almost exactly the same time, and the clash between the Neuntote and the rapier emitted a large shockwave. Bulat was able to feel plenty of arm strength behind Esdeath's attack and knew that she wasn't lacking in brute force.

Esdeath shot out her left hand and aimed for Bulat's chest, hoping to freeze him solid now that they had gotten closer. Bulat reacted quickly, however, and grabbed her by the wrist before she could do so. He held on tightly to her wrist, then used all of his strength to swing her off her feet and smash her into the ground beneath them.

The General was almost pummeled into the ground but regained her footing at the very last moment. She grinned. She was amused by his competence.

She yanked backwards and escaped his grip, then used her free hand to snap her fingers.

Ice appeared out of thin air, large icicles all surrounding Bulat. They had been summoned far too close for him to dodge, and all fired towards him at the same time. Bulat didn't panic, but instead held out his Neuntote and cut them down one by one as they came flying to him. The ice was incredibly tough, however, and it took every last ounce of his strength to slice them up.

Esdeath seemed completely calm, but Bulat was already starting to pant.

"Impressive. You're able to cut straight through my ice. Not many people can do that."

Bulat breathed heavily through his helmet, but tried to stay as calm as her. "And you are as powerful as the stories describe."

"Oh? Are there stories about me?"

"Plenty of them. The soldiers in the Revolutionary Army that have seen you have made tales, saying that you can destroy reality itself."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration." Esdeath chuckled.

"They also say that you enjoy watching people suffer, just like an animal." he muttered, distaste in his tone.

But, somehow, Esdeath didn't look even slightly insulted. "How quaint."

She snapped her fingers again and ice formed, though this time their shape was more complex. The ice collided together and assumed the shape of two massive hands, each one with a full set of fingers.

The right hand attempted to punch Bulat into a wall, but just barely missed as Bulat leapt out of the way. He hadn't expected for Esdeath to use her ice-making abilities for such peculiar creations. The hand tried to punch him again, but Bulat stopped the attack in its tracks by throwing his own fist forward as well.

The massive hand and his fist met each other at unfathomable speed, but Bulat's punch was stronger, much stronger. The moment he punched the ice hand, it cracked, crumbled, then fell apart. Esdeath's ice was sturdy, there was no denying that, but when it came to physical strength Bulat was a force to be reckoned with.

The left hand moved forward, seemingly knowing that it's its turn, even though it wasn't sentient.

This one tried to grab Bulat instead, and despite being slow, Bulat was careful of it. Knowing how strong Esdeath's ice was, he'd probably get crushed if the hand caught him.

After a few more evasive manoeuvres, he manages to strike the hand with the Neuntote and break it to pieces as well. The mall shards of ice scatter to the floor then disappear.

Having to put down the ice hands with concentrated and heavy swings of his weapon had tired Bulat, though he didn't show it to Esdeath. She was the last enemy you would want to show weakness to.

"Very good." Esdeath laughed, looking as calm as she did at the beginning of the fight. "I've fought Imperial Arm users before, but you seem to be a level higher than the rest. Where did you train?"

Bulat didn't see the harm in answering. "I was part of the Empire's army, like you."

"A General?"

"No, a soldier."

"I see. But…it was a foolish idea to leave the Empire. You left the strong and joined the weak."

"You may think of the Revolutionary Army as weak, but you couldn't be further from the truth."

"Really?" Esdeath responded, sounding extremely unconvinced. She paused for a moment, held down her rapier, and gave Bulat a different look. "You know, you really are a competent and dangerous soldier. You're exactly what my army needs."

"…was that an invitation?"

"Indeed. Someone with your amount of speed and strength is hard to come by these days. How about you rejoin the Empire?"

"Sorry. I'm a man for the people. The Empire is no place for me."

"If you continue to involve yourself with the weak, you will become one of them."

For once, Bulat was also smiling. "I'm okay with that."

Esdeath shrugged and pointed her rapier forward again. "So be it. It's a waste, but I won't lose sleep over it."

In an instant, they leapt back into the battle. Their weapons clashed over and over as they circled around the battlefield, the two of them a complete blur to the human eye.

Esdeath's constant summoning of ice was enough to counter Bulat's heavy blows. No matter what he tried, he couldn't land a single blow on the General, as her ice continued to block his attacks or return some. He was gradually getting faster and stronger, thanks to Incursio's adaptation to this new foe, but it simply wasn't enough.

And as the battle raged on, Esdeath looked like a child on Christmas, making it almost seem like she didn't even realize this was a fight. Bulat had been serious the entire time, but Esdeath was only having fun. Every time his attacks missed her, she laughed and taunted him to try again, while throwing some attacks back at him to keep him on his feet.

Bulat soon noticed it. She wasn't serious about this fight at all. She was just toying with him.

It was frustrating to know. He was using a large portion of his strength and still losing, yet his opponent wasn't even trying. She was only using a fraction of her actual abilities, that much had become worryingly clear.

But Bulat didn't let it get to him. This wasn't supposed to be a serious fight anyway. He wasn't planning on killing her. He was waiting for an opportunity to show itself, a good opportunity to run into the woods surrounding them and disappear out of sight.

He would reactivate Incursio's invisibility and rush deep into the dark folds of the forest. Despite Esdeath having remarkably sharp senses, not even she would be able to find him in that kind of situation.

That was Bulat's plan. Now he just had to stay alive and keep Esdeath entertained until that chance arrived.

Though, it seemed much easier in his mind. In reality, despite not being serious, Esdeath was still a threat. Her ice consistently succeeded in scratching Incursio, and after a few more exchanges, the armour was showing multiple cracks. Its toughness wasn't a match for the General's ice at all.

"Come on." Bulat whispered to his armour, blocking a kick from Esdeath. "Hang in there. Don't break apart now."

The armour was somehow responding to Bulat's wishes as well, and it held together through the next several attacks from the General. It cracked more and failed to absorb the blows, but it refused to break.

Esdeath was slowly beginning to unleash more powerful attacks, which wasn't good news for Bulat. Giant ice sculptures continued to appear out of nowhere and rain down upon him. Dodging wouldn't normally be such a challenge for him, but it was difficult to dodge _and_ deal with Esdeath at the same time. He had trained himself to fight multiple targets at once if needed, and it looked like it was paying off, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep it up. Just surviving one of Esdeath's attacks would be considered impossible by many, and now he had to do so repeatedly.

He decided he could stop her vicious strikes for a moment if he attacked her instead. He rushed forward quickly, side-stepping past two ice spears hurdling towards him, and slashed his Neuntote at a deadly speed.

But it wasn't going to work. Esdeath saw the attack coming and blocked the Neuntote with her bare palm. Even though her hand took the full force of the blow, it didn't bleed or even bruise.

She then grasped the Neuntote and giggled. Bulat didn't understand why at first, but was shown the reason as ice begun to materialize.

Her ice froze his weapon in mere moments, and then suddenly spread to his hands holding it. Before he could let go of the weapon, both his entire arms and the Neuntote were covered in thick ice, causing him to drop to his knees thanks to the ice's unexpectedly large weight.

Bulat struggled to no avail. His arms were now trapped in her ice, and it simply wouldn't shatter.

He cursed under his breath. He had gotten careless. He didn't think she could freeze him by just touching an object in his hands. He should've been more cautious of her abilities.

"Damn it," he growled, feeling the coldness of the ice biting into his skin. He couldn't feel any blood pumping into his hands.

"A little chilly, isn't it?" Esdeath smirked. She walked calmly over to him and saw a glare on his face. "Looks like I win."

"This…isn't a game."

"Oh? And here I thought we were just playing."

"Your overconfidence will be your death."

Esdeath smiled, obviously not actually listening to him. "Brave words for a dead man."

Bulat flexed his muscles and gasped.

He gave one last attempt at freeing his arms. He pulled mercilessly, hoping to slide them out of their nesting, but nothing gave. His arms weren't slipping loose. He was out of options.

With a stern and fearless expression, he looked up at Esdeath as she raised her rapier. She slowly began aiming the sharp end for his throat. She was planning on giving him a beheading right then and there.

Bulat wasn't afraid, however, and he stared deeply into Esdeath's eyes. If he was going to die here, he was going to gaze at death in the face. That was the only way a true soldier could die honourably.

His mind wandered for a second to his friend. Tatsumi's face flashed in his mind and he felt sorrow.

At least Tatsumi would run and be safe.

That was all that mattered.

Tatsumi. He _had_ to run.

* * *

With short and anxious breaths, Tatsumi remained in hiding.

The alarms hadn't been set off, but he could see ice in the distance, coming from the top of the camp. Anyone would've realized what that meant. Esdeath was here, and Bulat had been caught.

This hadn't been part of the plan. They had hoped and prayed that they didn't encounter Esdeath, their success weighed on it. Now that he knew she was here, it was clear to them that the mission was a failure. They weren't obtaining the cargo that she had hidden. She wouldn't let them.

But, at that moment in time, Tatsumi didn't care about the cargo. Whether or not the mission succeeded was the last thing on his mind. He was thinking of Bulat, and terrified to know that he was now battling against the strongest in the Empire.

Tatsumi always believed in Bulat, and knew that he deserved his title as the 100-Man Slayer, but he was still worried. The way that Bulat spoke of Esdeath and described how powerful she was…

He moved through the cover of the trees carefully, slowly approaching the camp. As he got closer, his heart began to race. Bulat had told him to stay away from the camp, telling him to just observe from afar, but Tatsumi's instincts were kicking in.

His mind was telling him to obey Bulat's wishes, but his body was refusing. Without thinking it through, he had already pulled out the Adayusu and clenched it with both hands. He didn't know why he was acting this way, but he knew he couldn't fight it either. It was obvious that deep down, he wanted to help. He was tired of sitting on the sidelines and letting others do the dirty work for him.

He remembered Najenda's orders. Do not confront Esdeath.

Those words had been burnt into his mind, but it seemed not even _that_ was going to stop him. He just kept walking forward mindlessly, relying completely on gut feelings instead of logic.

Soon, he was close enough to the actual camp to see the steps leading upwards to the hut where the cargo was located. He knew that Bulat and Esdeath had to be at the top, probably still battling it out. All that remained now was climbing those steps.

But, out of nowhere, he felt a strange sensation spring throughout his body. He looked downwards to see his knees shaking terribly, and his palms were getting Adayusu's handle sweaty. His heart was beating even faster and he found himself hyperventilating. He didn't know what was going on. This had never happened to him before.

It took him a moment to understand what was going on.

He was afraid.

Not the kind of fear that would make someone hesitant or uncomfortable. This kind of fear had shaken him to the core, and he shivering as he looked at the steps.

He hadn't noticed it until now, but he was afraid of Esdeath. He hadn't even met her face-to-face yet, but he had seen what her ice could do and the way Night Raid had talked about her like a ruthless beast had made him shudder.

His first thought was hate. He hated himself when he realized he was scared. This wasn't the time to be pathetic. His friend was up there with Esdeath of all people. How could he let fear take over him?

The second kind of thought in his head was doubt. If Esdeath was an enemy that not even Bulat could defeat, then there was probably no one who could. He could just turn and escape. He knew the way back to Night Raid. He could just tell them that Esdeath attacked and they would understand. They wouldn't blame him for losing Bulat, surely they'd support him…right?

Tatsumi stopped.

He stopped everything and began breathing slowly.

He relaxed himself until his mind was clear. And once it was, he was disgusted by himself.

What kind of monster would leave their friend behind? He didn't care what he promised to Bulat, he was _not_ going to abandon him, regardless of whether Esdeath was involved or not.

"How would I…" Tatsumi whispered to himself. He gulped down his own saliva and felt his body heat up with anger. "How would I face everyone _…if you died?!"_

With a gleam in his eyes, Tatsumi charged forward, running as fast as his legs would carry him.

He raced towards the steps and began climbing.

His body was no longer shivering. His hands were no longer sweating. He was far too determined to help Bulat to feel his fear of the Empire's strongest. The adrenaline buzzing inside him was nothing he had ever experienced before.

The second he reached the top, he was Bulat and Esdeath, and continued to sprint.

He saw Bulat's arms encased in ice and the General about to slit his throat. Tatsumi knew he had to attack her first to save Bulat.

Though he could tell that Esdeath saw the attack coming, Tatsumi slashed the Adayusu at her. Esdeath moved much faster than him, and in the blink of an eye, she had jumped out of the way.

She had moved away from Bulat, just as he wanted. He then lifted up his Imperial Arm and smashed it into the ice covering Bulat's arms. Thanks to the Adayusu's extremely sharp end, the ice cracked and weakened, allowing Bulat to break his hands free. The ice scattered outwards as Bulat was finally rid of it, and Esdeath only watched with interest.

"Oh, has another rebel come to challenge me?"

Bulat got back to his feet and stood beside Tatsumi. "No, your opponent is still me, Esdeath."

"Bulat, listen. I'll fight her." Tatsumi said, surprising his friend. "Go get the cargo while I distract her."

"Don't be ridiculous, you can't fight her. _You_ go get the cargo."

Tatsumi lowered his voice to a whisper so Esdeath wouldn't hear. "We both know it's too heavy for me to carry, you're the only one who can do it."

"But that's-!"

Tatsumi looked unnaturally calm. "If we don't get the cargo, this would've been all for nothing. Don't worry, the second you get it, I'll use my Trump Card. It'll distract Esdeath long enough for the both of us to get out of here."

"Your…Trump Card…" Bulat repeated, remembering that Tatsumi had gained that power. "Najenda told you not to use it again. It's not natural."

"Bulat." Tatsumi spoke in a slightly more worried tone as Esdeath began walking towards them. "We don't have time. This is the only plan that has a chance of working, so go!"

Knowing that they didn't have the luxury of time, Bulat immediately ran to the left.

Tatsumi sighed in relief. He had gotten through to Bulat. Despite acting brave, Tatsumi knew he didn't stand a chance against Esdeath, but with this plan they could still get out of this alive. It all depended on his Trump Card now.

He felt a little guilty as he realized he was now breaking two promises he made to Najenda, both to never use his Trump Card and to never fight Esdeath. Truth was, he wanted to keep those promises, but the situation simply demanded him to ignore them. He would have to apologize to the Boss later.

"The contents in that box are my property." Esdeath said to Tatsumi, her blue eyes staring daggers into his. "If you think you can stop me from protecting it, then you're just a-"

Tatsumi frowned as the General stopped short, suddenly falling silent.

"I'm just a…?"

Esdeath stared at him for a little longer.

He stood there, his weapon still ready. What made her stop? What was going through her mind?

"Hm…" she hummed, finally speaking up again. "You're rather cute."

Tatsumi's fierce expression suddenly faltered from the sudden compliment. "W-What…?"

"Most rebels I come across are all the same, but a young boy with good looks like you…"

He didn't know what she was trying to pull. Maybe she was saying this to lower his defences. He wouldn't fall for it.

"Enough talk!" he roared, running towards her with his Adayusu held high. "I'm your new opponent, come at me!"

Without any effort, Esdeath stepped to the side and avoided his first strike. She didn't even blink an eye as her foot rose upwards and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Tatsumi gasped as he couldn't breathe in any air. With just one kick he was on the floor, holding his aching body. He didn't expect himself to get completely winded after just one hit.

"Those green eyes are very nice as well, along with your cheekbones." Esdeath continued. She wasn't even thinking about fighting anymore, her only interest was analysing him now.

"Stop…saying…such weird things!" he growled as he got up and slashed twice with his scythe.

Esdeath simply ducked under the first swing, then jumped over the second.

Tatsumi's sight wasn't able to keep up with her, but in a single moment she was now standing behind him. At first, he thought his eyes were just planning tricks on him, but he soon understood that she was just moving too fast for him to see.

He quickly spun on his heel, turned around, and ran towards her again. He needed to keep her busy, or she'd leave him and stop Bulat. Ignoring the fact that his attacks were doing nothing, he challenged her again and again, swiping his scythe in different directions, forcing her to dodge.

"You're not nearly as strong as your friend." she commented, closing her eyes and evading another attack. "But I like your recklessness."

This was irritating. No one could dodge forever. Surely he'd land a hit on her at some point.

Yet, no matter how he attacked, he simply couldn't touch her. He was nowhere near her level, causing her to focus more on admiring his face than his fighting abilities. It was the strangest situation he had ever been in.

"Act coy for as long as you want, I'm still going to beat you to a pulp!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he leapt upwards and thrust the Adayusu into the ground.

Esdeath jumped backwards and dodged.

Her expression had changed slightly, as though she had heard a joke. "You know…you really remind me…of him."

"Him?"

He didn't know who she was talking about, but it also didn't matter.

She seemed distracted. The second he noticed it, Tatsumi dashed towards her and threw the Adayusu. Its sharp edge pointed forward, it flew through the air and straight for Esdeath's head.

Esdeath grabbed the Imperial Arm in mid-air and laughed in amusement.

"Throwing your only weapon? That wasn't very smart of you-"

Without any warning, strength was suddenly drained from her body.

She gasped as she realized she had grabbed the handle of the Adayusu while catching it. She wasn't supposed to touch an Imperial Arm she wasn't compatible with.

Unlike how it affected others, Esdeath was only weakened for a mere moment, but that was all that Tatsumi needed.

Esdeath looked up and saw a fist before it connected with her left cheek.

Time seemed to stop.

Both of them were in complete shock as Tatsumi landed a hit on the Empire's strongest. Esdeath was so surprised that she took a few steps back and froze on the spot.

The punch did absolutely nothing, and Esdeath hardly felt any pain, but she was still motionless.

"You…you hit me…"

Tatsumi had the same look on his face. He couldn't believe he was actually able to touch her when no one else could.

"You…" her surprised look turning into an ominous grin. "You're coming with _me._ "

He was confused by her words. He didn't know what she wanted with him, but he knew he didn't want to find out either.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Bulat step out of the hut in the distance. He was too far away to see properly, but he noticed a massive crate in his arms. Bulat had obtained the cargo. Tatsumi's improvised plan was working.

And now for the final phase. He'd use the Adayusu's Trump Card as the cover for their escape. He took in a deep breath, gripped his weapon as tightly as he could, and watched as it gradually begun to glow. It was responding to his feelings. It was waiting for his command to activate its most powerful ability.

"This is the end." he muttered to his enemy.

Esdeath nodded, looking serious for the first time. "Indeed. I've had my fun, I should finish this now."

For a moment, he thought she was bluffing.

He summoned blue flames around the Adayusu and readied himself, by the time he swung his weapon at Esdeath he was certain he had won.

His courage crumbled down into nothingness as he saw Esdeath catch the scythe from its sharpest end and snap it in half.

Disbelief.

That was all he could feel as his Imperial Arm was broken by Esdeath's hands. The Adayusu immediately stopped glowing, lost its blue flames, and dropped to the ground. Shards of what was once his weapon scattered around him and all that was left of the weapon was its handle by the time Esdeath let go of it.

Somehow, she had managed to destroy an Imperial Arm with her bare hands.

"Wha…"

He dropped to his knees, stared at the small shards that remained, and felt a terrible pain in his heart. The precious weapon that had aged for over a century had shattered because of his incompetence.

He looked up to see Esdeath smiling down on him, her left hand reaching out.

This was the true strength of the Empire's strongest.

Tatsumi was convinced now that she was on par with a god.

"Sleep." she spoke softly.

Without any effort, her fingers moved forward and pressed firmly on the pressure points on Tatsumi's neck. He gasped, fell onto his back, and lost consciousness.

He was only an insect compared to Esdeath.

* * *

Bulat was in the thick of the woods by the time he stopped running to catch his breath. He put the heavy crate down beside him and wiped sweat off of his forehead. The cargo was ridiculously heavy. He could only wonder what was actually inside.

He had seen blue flames coming from Tatsumi's weapon back at the camp, and knew that the Adayusu's Trump Card was to be released. It was the signal for both him and Tatsumi to make a run for it.

Yet, he looked around, expecting to see Tatsumi around…and didn't.

He was _certain_ he saw Tatsumi about to use his Trump Card, but he was consumed by fear as he suspected the worst.

Lifting the crate back up, he searched around the entrance of the woods over and over, trying to find his friend, but Tatsumi was nowhere in sight.

Despite knowing the consequences, he then rushed back out of the woods and to the camp. Surely Tatsumi was fine. Surely he could still make it and-

His feet stepped on some dangerously sharp pieces on the ground, grabbing his attention.

He looked down and saw little, black shards of a special of metal. Once he also noticed the twisted, tattooed handle lying next to the pile of shards, he realized what he was looking it. It was the Adayusu, or whatever was left of it.

His voice was caught in his throat.

Tatsumi hadn't escaped from Esdeath.

He wanted to scream out in anger. He wanted to pull his hair out in frustration. He wanted to cry out in sorrow.

Because he knew what that meant.

It meant Tatsumi was as good as dead.


	22. No 20: Kill The Love

**Woo, next chapter :)**

 **Special thanks to KILLZONERADEC for following/favouring this story! You rock :)**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Covered in sweat, Tatsumi woke up.

Even before he could fully compute his surroundings, before all the information travelled through the nerve wires and cognitive functions of his brain, he knew that something was wrong.

He was sitting down on a chair, wooden. He was tied down. Ropes latched to his ankles and wrists. He writhed for a moment, but once he felt the strength of the rope, he knew he wasn't getting out of it.

He was alone in the room. The walls, the ceiling, the floor…everything was white. The floor beneath him glistened and glowed in a clean light, it had just been scrubbed and washed.

The place had a very clean smell to it, like ammonia and soap. Tatsumi looked down at his own body. His clothes had all been replaced and had no colour. A white shirt, cotton pants, no socks or shoes.

His mind was a blur, thousands of different thoughts rushing through it, all at once. He could hardly think about anything. He didn't want to.

But he needed to remember why he was here. It simply wasn't right for him to be here, he didn't recognize the place.

After a little struggle with his own migraine, he begun to recall his battle with Esdeath. They had attacked her camp in order to obtain something she was hiding, and then…

When the realization hit Tatsumi, he felt completely winded, like all the air in his body had been kicked down violently.

He was captured by Esdeath. Despite the clear orders against it, he tried to fight her and failed miserably, and even had his Imperial Arm destroyed by her. He didn't know what happened to Bulat, but he now knew that wherever he was…the Ice General was the one who brought him here.

Fear struck his heart for a moment. Would he be executed? It made sense, he _was_ a rebel, and there was only one thing they did to captured rebels.

He felt his breathing pattern quickly become irregular and his body going cold, the sweat on his face rolling down his cheeks and onto his shirt.

But he relaxed. It took him a moment, but his stiff body gradually went limp and he started taking careful, deep breaths.

He wasn't going to die. If that was the case, the Imperial soldiers would've killed him on sight. He didn't understand why they hadn't done it yet, but for now he wasn't going to complain.

Strangely, he wasn't in prison, either. Though empty, the room he was in was of good quality and care. He almost felt like royalty in such a shiny, clean room, if he just ignored the fact that he was tied down to his seat.

The sound of a click echoed behind him. He could hear a door opening, though he couldn't turn around to see who had entered.

Heavy footsteps emitted from behind, the empty, enclosed room allowing the echoes to loud much louder than they actually were.

"So, you're finally awake." a voice commented.

Tatsumi frowned.

It was a man's voice, and it sounded oddly familiar.

The person finally walked around Tatsumi chair and came into full view. A guy his age, black hair and blue eyes, with a jacket bearing the Royal Navy emblem. His expression was sharp but not hostile, instead looking more weary than anything, and from the way he stood carefully while facing Tatsumi, it was obvious he was cautious.

"You're…one of the Jaegers…" Tatsumi mumbled, his voice still weak and feeble.

"Yeah," he answered, though he didn't seem interested in introductions. Instead he walked over to the other side of the room, got another wooden chair, and placed it opposite of Tatsumi before sitting down. "How are you feeling?"

Tatsumi frowned. "Shouldn't you be trying to kill me right now?"

"Because you're a member of Night Raid? Yes."

"Yet, here you are, asking about my health."

"I don't…" Wave grumbled, looking a little confused himself. "…have permission to kill you."

"Why not?"

"Hell if I know. I've just been told to keep an eye on you when you finally gain consciousness."

"You don't sound happy."

"Happy? Should I be happy that instead of being on the battlefield fighting for peace, I'm stuck here babysitting a murderer?"

His words stung Tatsumi, but he didn't bother responding to them.

There wasn't any point. Wave was fully convinced that both him and the rest of Night Raid were pure evil, he doubted anything would change that.

He had only met Wave twice before now, but he felt as though he already knew the guy well. They were enemies, sure, but it seemed like they had a lot in common, and the way Wave acted seriously and bravely all the time was admirable.

"My head hurts." Tatsumi eventually complained.

"Tough."

"Aren't you going to do something about it?"

"Huh? Why would I do that?"

"You said your orders are to take care of me."

"No, no." Wave shook his head, his words in the form of a sigh. "It's more like keep you alive than pamper you and give you massages, got that?"

"Right, gotcha."

Tatsumi smiled.

Any other soldier would've punched or kicked Tatsumi for asking such stupid questions and messing with them, but Wave was soft. Even if the sailor tried to hide it and act tough, it was obvious he wasn't an angry person.

Tatsumi closed his eyes for a moment. He wasn't here for fun and jokes though. He needed to focus and figure out what was going on.

There were hundreds of questions that Tatsumi wanted to ask his babysitter, but he decided to go with the most important and essential questions first.

"Where am I?"

"You don't need to know that."

"Oh, come on." Tatsumi scoffed. "I'm tied up to a chair and your prisoner, what harm will come by telling me where I am?"

Wave's blue eyes stared at Tatsumi for almost an eternity before softening slightly and looking away. "At the Imperial Palace. This is one of the spare rooms."

"The Imperial…" Tatsumi repeated in shock.

He had been taken to the Empire.

He had been taken to heart of the Capital. The Emperor of the whole land was currently in the same building as him. For some reason, it was the biggest surprise that Tatsumi had so far.

More thoughts rushed through his mind.

If he could just get out of his chair and grab a knife, he could rush over to the Emperor, stab him, and everything would be resolved. The thing that Night Raid and the entirety of the Revolutionary Army had been trying to accomplish for so long would be done. The war would finally be won and the rebels would be victorious. Everyone at Night Raid would call him a hero.

Almost laughing at himself, Tatsumi shook his head. It wasn't that simple.

This was a giant Palace, and the most heavily-guarded building in all of the Empire. Even with a weapon, he wouldn't survive longer than a minute.

"What are you smirking about?" Wave said.

Tatsumi hadn't noticed he was smiling. "Oh, uh, nothing."

"If I were you, I'd take this situation more seriously."

"Why's that?"

"Because," Wave muttered, his voice suddenly becoming rather grim and worrisome. "You might be in for the worst experience of your life."

"Huh?"

"Just prepare yourself."

"Woah, woah, slow down!" Tatsumi panicked, feeling fear rush into his body and mind once more. "What's going to happen to me?"

"Well, you _are_ a member of Night Raid…" Wave trailed off ominously, though he didn't sound like he wanted to scare Tatsumi on purpose.

"Are they…going to kill me?"

"Worse."

"Worse…?"

"I'm not really sure what's going on myself." Wave admitted, scratching the back of his head. "But from the looks of it, they want to know where Night Raid is held, and they want to, uh, 'extract' that information from you."

Tatsumi's heart immediately sank and his body went cold.

"They're going to torture me…?"

"It's not clear yet, but I think so."

"Oh god…"

Wave looked a little upset now, it was clear he didn't want to be the one to reveal it to Tatsumi.

With his eyes still not looking at Tatsumi, he tried to reassure the rebel. "If it makes you feel any better, they're currently asking for everyone's thoughts on the situation, and I voted against torture. I doubt others will do the same…but…"

Wave was wrong, that didn't make Tatsumi feel any better in the slightest.

He already knew how cruel and calculative the people of the Empire were, and the Jaegers surely hated Night Raid even more. Tatsumi recalled their previous battle where Lubbock managed to rip one of the Twins' arms off and get away with it. There was no way they had forgotten about that, or forgiven it.

He was afraid. He didn't even try to deny it. Anyone would be afraid.

What would they do to him? Would they stretch his body apart with ropes? Would they slowly boil him over a fire? Would they cut away at his skin until he screamed for mercy? Would they remove a finger or two?

He could imagine all of those scenarios in his mind vividly, and it terrified him.

"Hey, try to calm down." Wave snapped, causing Tatsumi to stop imagining.

"How…how can I be calm…?"

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure that doesn't happen." he said without any hesitation present in his voice. "As a Jaeger, my word holds some merit, you know."

Tatsumi didn't want to sound ungrateful, but a question burst out of him anyway. "Why would you do that?"

Wave shuffled around in his chair with his arms folded. The sailor glanced away several times, cleared his throat, and sighed before answering.

"Torture is inhumane, no matter what the situation. If we drive people to insanity by bringing them pain, we're no better than animals."

"Wave…" Tatsumi mumbled, unsure of how to respond.

"But," Wave immediately followed with a sharp, merciless tone. "That doesn't mean I don't want to see you punished. I'll do everything I can to make sure that you're sent straight to prison so that you can stare at bar cells for the rest of your life. That's a promise."

Those words caused any kind of small friendship or respect between them to quickly be abolished.

Still, knowing that Wave wouldn't agree to a torture method let Tatsumi know that there was some humanity in the sailor, even if he had foolishly fallen onto the wrong side. It was a shame that the Empire was able to trick a good person like Wave, a real shame.

"…do you hate me?" Tatsumi eventually found himself asking out of pure curiosity.

Wave didn't pause. "I hate all rebels, not just you. You're all just a pack of murderers, thieves, rapists. It disgusts me."

It was at that moment that Tatsumi wanted to yell out for Wave to open his eyes and stop believing the exact opposite of the truth. It was the Empire that was made up of murderers and thieves, not the Revolutionary Army.

But the thought quickly hit Tatsumi again. What was the point?

"Well," Wave sighed, getting up from the chair and putting it back from where he got it. "I've got other duties to attend to."

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah, I just came over to check your condition. I've got about a hundred jobs to do today, so I can't just sit here and chat with you."

"But…" Tatsumi grumbled, surprised about how alone he suddenly felt.

"I've got orders to bring you some food in about an hour from now, so look forward to that, I guess."

"Okay."

"And after that..." Wave said with a look of dismay. "The guards will come for you, either to take you to the dungeons or to the torture room."

As Wave slowly walked away and left the room, making sure to lock it behind him, Tatsumi immediately started trying to get out of his ropes.

He was scared. The ropes wouldn't give. He couldn't get out of the chair. There wasn't anything in the room he could use to get out. He was trapped.

And as he struggled helplessly in his chair, one word kept repeating in his mind, over and over.

Torture.

 _Torture._

* * *

"I can't believe you."

The room was heated. The atmosphere had never been tenser. It felt like everyone in the Hall would explode at any moment.

Bulat sat on a chair, with Leone sitting beside him while wrapping a thick layer of bandages around his biceps. He didn't look at her. She didn't look at him.

Everyone else was close by, but also silent. The only one who seemed to be talking was Najenda, who had plenty to say.

"I had clear instructions. _Very_ clear instructions." she muttered, then raised her voice without warning. " _What the hell happened?!"_

For the longest time, there was no sound in the room.

Najenda, with sweat still moist on her face, glared at Bulat. It wasn't the first time that the boss had lost her cool and let her rage take control of her, but no one in Night Raid had seen her reach this kind of level.

And from Bulat's expression, and the way he stared back, he was angry too.

But he was the quiet kind of angry. The most terrifying kind.

He waited almost an eternity before speaking. "As I said, Tatsumi was taken. The camp took him away. I was too injured to do anything about it."

"Taken by Esdeath?"

"Yes."

"I specifically told him _not_ to engage her."

Bulat's firm tone didn't waver, not even for a second. "He did it to save my life."

"And now he's dead."

Those words finally got to Bulat. He lowered his head in sorrow and closed his eyes.

They had recovered the package that they set out for. The crate that Esdeath had been protecting for so long was just in the other room, but no one was in the mood to look inside. Too much was on their minds to even consider the recent events a 'victory'.

Leone, finished with the bandages, looked at Najenda. "So…what do we do now, Boss?"

"What do you mean," Najenda said as she placed a cigarette in her mouth to calm down. "That's it. We move on."

"Move on…?"

"Yes. I've contacted some supervisors from the East and have more missions in line for us to-"

Leone couldn't wait for Najenda to finish. "What about Tatsumi?"

"Right." Najenda nodded her head. "Considering that it was Esdeath that captured him, she probably made him tell her where our base is before killing him. We'll have to relocate and-"

The room boomed as Bulat stood up, grabbed the table, and threw it across the entire Hall. It flew straight until a wall before breaking apart.

Everyone was shocked except for Akame, who watched the scene unfold without any emotion written on her face.

"Don't." Bulat growled as he slowly turned around to face Najenda. "Don't talk about him like he's dead."

Obviously, Najenda hadn't expected for him to suddenly lash out like this. She took a calm step back and showed that she wasn't afraid of him, but wary.

"You will not speak to me in that tone." she answered.

"I'll speak in whatever damn tone I want." he said as he pointed a finger at her. "Tatsumi is family, you have no right to talk about him like he's just a pain in your neck."

"He was an asset." Najenda firmly snapped back, her arms folded. "A liability as well. He wasn't one of us to begin with. We picked him up from nowhere."

"So?"

"So, there are a million more like him. There's no point in standing around, moping."

"You sound horrible."

"I am responsible for the safety and success of Night Raid, I have to be careful and-"

Bulat restated what he just said, and this time, his words were ice. "You sound like Esdeath."

Leone's eyes widened. Sheele gave out a quiet gasp by accident. Akame remained silent.

"Bulat!" Mine roared as though his words had also offended her too.

Sheele said nothing but was obviously shocked as well, almost dropping the eyeglasses in her hands.

A hurt look flashed on Najenda's face, disappearing almost immediately.

"Say whatever you want," she said, her tone softer than before. "I'm just doing what is right for Night Raid. We relocate tonight, and we'll figure out what to do next from there."

An expression appeared on Bulat's face that showed he had more to say, but he was quickly interrupted by a noise.

The door to their left opened. It opened incredibly slowly, and a skinny, frail man trembled as he entered the room.

Lubbock. He was out of bed. No one had seen him get out of his room for weeks now, or even out of his own bed. Leone quickly rushed over to him and held him by the shoulder, guiding him as he continued to walk despite his injuries.

There were bandages wrapped around his entire body, and an ugly scar had claimed a place on his chest, jagged and brown. They hadn't noticed it until now.

"We…" he wheezed, his voice weak from not speaking for so long. "We have…to save…him…"

His body looked so feeble, he obviously hadn't been eating as much as he should've. Leone carefully held him up as he could hardly stand on his own two feet.

Najenda looked concerned. "You should be in bed."

"If Tats is in trouble…I can't just…do nothing."

"He was captured by Esdeath, Lubbock. He's gone."

Though it seemed like he didn't have any strength within himself, his balled-up fist punched against the wall next to him.

"That bastard…" he coughed, his eyes full of fire and frustration. "Dragged me across the entire Capital…while he was still bleeding and hurt. He ignored…his own wounds…and held me on his back…all the way home. He saved…my life."

"Lubbock."

"Tats…is a fucking saint." Lubbock spat as Leone finally moved away and allowed him to stand on his own. "And I'll be damned…if I let Esdeath hurt him..."

His voice was cracked and sore, and it looked like it hurt to talk, but his words were easily heard by everyone in the room.

It was rare to see Lubbock serious, and Najenda looked like she had been slightly taken aback.

It was clear what Bulat and Lubbock were thinking. They wanted to go back and get Tatsumi.

Najenda found it completely absurd. It was true that the ordinary villager had helped them out here and there, but two of Night Raid's members heading out on a suicide mission to save him? It was ridiculous.

Tatsumi was almost certainly dead, and even if he somehow wasn't, he was taken away by Esdeath of all people. If they had chosen not to kill him, they probably took Tatsumi to the Capital instead, and even all of Night Raid together would have difficulty extracting one guy from an area as guarded as that.

Yet she already knew she couldn't talk sense into the Bulat or Lubbock. They had made their choice.

"You can relocate if you want," Bulat said in a harsh tone. "I'm setting out for the Capital. I'm bringing our friend home."

"Me too…" Lubbock wheezed.

Bulat turned to look at his friend and shook his head. "No, you're still recovering. You stay here."

"No way man…I've got to help him…I gotta…"

"I'll go instead."

A new voice had entered the conversation.

Everyone turned around and looked at Akame in disbelief. Her sudden offer threw them off guard.

"You'll come along?" Bulat asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. It would be more efficient if I went instead of Lubbock. We might be able to recover Tatsumi this way."

"I didn't think you'd be the person to…" Bulat started, then trailed off and didn't continue. It wasn't important. "Are you ready to set out an hour from now?"

"I am ready at any time."

Najenda turned on her heel and left the Hall. She couldn't handle another moment around everyone else.

She couldn't understand how they were thinking and why they weren't listening to a word she said anymore. It was only yesterday that they followed her orders without question, but now it's like her commands no longer have any merit. It was insulting.

Entering the storage room, her strong composure turned into a slump as she sighed. All this stress was getting to her, and not even cigars were fixing that problem any longer.

Bulat and Akame would be heading out to the Capital on a suicide mission and there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't forcibly stop them, she wasn't nearly as strong as them. She couldn't threaten to remove them from Night Raid, they were indescribably valuable, if they left the squad for good…it wouldn't even be Night Raid anymore.

She had always relied on the team listening to her orders out of respect, and that seemed to work until now. They were willing to disobey their leader just to save an ordinary villager that was surely dead already.

Once she closed the door, she sat down and her head hung low.

Whatever. They were professionals. If this was what they wanted, so be it.

Bulat, Lubbock, and potentially everyone else, saw her as a villain now. That wasn't what she wanted.

She wasn't like Esdeath. She was never even close to being like that psychopathic, sadistic, cruel woman. Najenda only wanted what was best for everyone. At times she had to put on a strict face for her subordinates and speak about sensitive subjects without emotion, but that was just her doing her job. She had to act that way in order to be a proper, professional leader…right?

In truth, despite making it not look like it, she _did_ worry about Tatsumi. He was a good kid. He showed ambition and only ever wanted to help. Having him around was nice.

But she, unlike Bulat and Lubbock, had to think about things logically. Tatsumi was definitely dead by now, and was tortured before dying to reveal Night Raid's current location. They needed to abandon their base and move up further into the mountain.

But if Bulat and Akame were going to the Capital, the relocation would have to be delayed, and Imperial soldiers would be at their door in mere days. That was the logical conclusion.

Why didn't Bulat didn't see that? Even someone as innocent like Tatsumi wouldn't be able to survive the kind of torture the Empire indulges in, their location was probably already known by Esdeath.

Najenda groaned. There was simply too much to think about.

She looked across to the other side of the storage room.

The massive crate was just sitting there, at the opposite end of the room with the locks broken, and despite that, they still hadn't opened it yet. With all the business with Tatsumi's unfortunate fate, the cargo they fought so hard to get was completely forgotten.

Najenda stared long and hard at the crate. _This_ is what they got at the price of losing Tatsumi. She knew it wasn't the best time to get curious, especially with tensions running high and whatnot, but she still thought that _someone_ had to take a look inside.

She got up and slowly began walking towards it.

This was what Esdeath had sacrificed so much to protect. There had to be something invaluable inside for them to discover. Bulat and Tatsumi went through so much just to get it, and now her hopes were high.

Her left hand reached out for the crate first, and her fingers found the side of the lid. They trembled as she gripped it.

And as she lifted it up and looked inside, her eyes widened and the entire world around her seemed to freeze.

Najenda had expected many things. As something protected by the Empire's strongest, she thought the content of the crate would be some kind of weapon, or an Imperial Arm, or some extremely rare alchemic potions.

But it was none of those things.

She stared in absolute disbelief.

She saw hair. She saw closed eyes. She saw the dark outline of a face.

There hadn't been a weapon in the crate for all these months.

There was a person inside.

* * *

Tatsumi's eyes were wide open.

He had been sitting in the chair for several hours now. His back hurt and the feeling of tiredness had washed over him, but he refused to fall asleep. Not even for a moment.

Wave had come back to the room a few hours ago and given Tatsumi some soup as his meal for the day. Tatsumi didn't complain, he enjoyed the fancy soup that the Palace had, but Wave didn't stay around to chat. He left immediately once Tatsumi had finished the soup and he had been alone in the room for what felt like an eternity.

His wrists hurt from struggling too much. He had tried time and time again to get out of his ropes, but now his flesh stung and he had completely given up on it.

He had never been more scared in his life. Any moment now, people would barge in and drag him straight to the prison…or the torture chamber. Both of those options was frightening, but it was obvious which possibility he feared more.

In the countless hours that Tatsumi had to himself, he had been wondering if he would betray Night Raid. He knew where their base was, but would be he be willing to tell the people of the Empire that?

He hoped he wouldn't. He didn't want to be a traitor to such good people, but at the same time, he had never been tortured before. Perhaps the pain was so great that he would spill all of Night Raid's secrets in mere seconds. He shuddered and shivered at the thought.

While Tatsumi didn't want to admit it, he had also spent a small portion of these many hours alone…crying.

He didn't know why the impulse suddenly came to him, but just an hour early he had burst into tears. At first he felt ashamed of himself and didn't understand why he would just randomly start weeping, then he realized he was feeling much better afterwards. He must've been holding it in for a long time.

He gasped as he heard sounds from outside the room. Footsteps.

The door to the room opened behind him and someone was quickly walking towards him.

He felt horrible. This was the moment of truth. This was where they decided what exactly they were going to do with him.

He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, and did everything else he could to mentally prepare himself for whatever happened next.

Tatsumi had imagined this happening, countless times. What he would do, what he would say that could help him get out of this situation, but none of those things came to mind now. He was too scared.

He heard the person stand next to him, and he knew it was time to open his eyes and face this person face-to-face.

He saw blue eyes and an icy smile. Instead of seeing a gruff soldier covered in armour, he saw a slender woman wearing a simple white gown. Instead of seeing a weapon by the person's side, she was completely unarmed.

"Sleep well?" she asked, her voice silky and calming.

Esdeath. It was Esdeath.

Tatsumi expected her to lunge forward at any second and tear his heart out, but she did no such thing.

Her smile wasn't the same sadistic one that Tatsumi had seen before, this was one seemed actually genuine. He wondered if this was to make him lower his guard before she started torturing him.

"You're...General Esdeath." he commented.

"Yes." she smiled more. "I hope it hasn't been too uncomfortable in that chair, has it? If you want, I can let you out of those ropes now."

"Where is Bulat?"

For a moment, the blue-haired woman didn't know who he was talking about, but quickly deduced the answer.

"Oh, your assassin friend in the shining armour?" she paused until he nodded in confirmation. "He got away."

"Gave up on trying to capture him?"

"Why would I need to? I already have _you_."

He took that statement as a threat, but was completely off-guard as she stepped right up to his chair and leaned down, her face only a couple inches away from his. Though he didn't want to react, he felt his own face slowly get hotter and hotter.

"It's okay, darling." she whispered. "You don't need to worry about your fellow assassins anymore. You'll be here with me from now on."

"Wha-?" he tried to speak.

He was interrupted as their lips met.

They were kissing.

Something erupted and exploded within Tatsumi's chest, the feeling of confusion and fear immediately crept in as he felt the soft, velvety texture of Esdeath's lips.

The _hell_ was he doing? The most terrifying and cruel person in all of the Empire was in the same room as him…and they were _kissing?_

He lost focus for a moment, enjoying the plumpness and softness of her lower lip. He couldn't help it. He was a guy, and this was the first time he was experiencing something like this. For a few seconds, he didn't pull away and instead let Esdeath do what she was doing.

But he quickly came back to his senses and yanked himself back, separating the kiss. His heart was beating faster than ever before, and he didn't know what was happening to himself, but he needed to concentrate.

"Why would you…?" he gasped, the feeling of the kiss still fresh on his lips.

"Hush, you don't need to question these things." she said almost commandingly, leaning forward for another kiss.

But Tatsumi turned his head to the side and refused.

He thought anger would appear on her face, but instead she looked hurt. Her smile dropped and she didn't try to kiss him a second time, and Tatsumi strangely felt a little guilty.

"I know you're afraid. I _did_ take you from your friends, but believe me when I say this – you're safe now."

"Why'd…you kiss me?"

"Because," she spoke in that soft, soothing voice again. "I love you."

"H-Huh…?"

'Huh' wasn't exactly something you'd say when someone confessed to you, but it was all Tatsumi was able to.

They didn't know anything about each other. Just before Tatsumi was tied up and a prisoner, he had a futile attempt at killing her. This was the first time he was ever talking to the General face-to-face, and she was confessing…love?

Tatsumi thought he was dreaming all this. Nothing added up.

"I…don't understand."

Esdeath knelt close to him. "I have been looking for the one I love for a long time now. With the help of my soldiers, I sent out posters everywhere to let everyone know what kind of person I was looking for."

The moon outside shone through a faint, beautiful, white light that reflected off of Esdeath's eyes, Tatsumi hadn't seen someone so pretty before.

"I was looking for someone young, valiant, handsome," she continued, making Tatsumi feel sheepish from all the compliments he was getting. "And most importantly, he had to be able to land a blow on me. It's you. You're the one."

He had forgotten about that.

Despite it being their first battle, Tatsumi had managed to punch her while she was distracted. It shocked him, but it looked like it had shocked Esdeath more.

He couldn't believe that Esdeath was so impressed by it though. Sure, everyone knew how powerful and skilful she was on the battlefield, but he hadn't punched her because he was skilled too. It was by complete accident.

"That…" he said while still absolutely confused. "That was luck!"

"When it comes to fighting me, there is no luck." Esdeath responded calmly.

"No, you don't get it. I'm an amateur, I haven't even been an assassin for a whole month! I'm inexperienced and weak, you think I'm way stronger than I actually am!"

He found it strange that he was explaining just how weak he really was, but he thought she needed to know the truth for things to finally start making sense. She had her facts all wrong.

"Wrong. You're not an amateur. You're perfect."

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say or do.

"So…you're not going to kill me?"

"Well, we _are_ taking you to the execution grounds tonight, the executioner is waiting."

"Wait-!"

"Don't worry," she hushed, pressing her index finger against his lips. "You're not going to be killed. I would _never_ allow it."

"Then why are you taking me there?"

For the first time, he got to see Esdeath's sadistic smile up close.

"Because I know your friends will come for you. I know how they think and how they react to certain situations. They'll rush straight to your aid once things start to look bad. And when they come…"

Oh no.

He could hardly breathe as he imagined what she was going to do. This was not happening.

Esdeath's eyes were blissful and excited as she grinned at Tatsumi.

"I'll slaughter them."


	23. Author's Note 2

Hi, this is another author's note. Reading this is optional.

Because of the upcoming finals at school, which many people will have to go through at around this time, I will be unable to publish new chapters. I'll be far too busy preparing and studying to find any time to write. New chapters for all my stories were supposed to come out today, but I'm afraid to say that I really need some extra time.

For around 2-3 weeks, no updates will be posted on my stories. I promise, however, that I will immediately get back to writing once my finals are completed.

I hope you understand, and thank you for your patience. It means a lot.


	24. No 21: Kill The Trap

**I'm back! Woo!**

 **Thank you _so_ much for waiting, I'm really sorry that I took so long to release this chapter. The good news is that now my finals are finished, so I can move onto updating this story with a much faster pace!**

 **Special thanks to Ashura Phantom Ryu, Generation Zero, f0ckub1itch, Funny-Little-Cute White Fox, HaterofNone, nightwolfsilver, GloriousAzure, challengunnar-dale, alex1893, UnknownReader189, and SavageLotus102696 for following/favouring this story! You're awesome.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

The walk across the corridors of the Palace was tense and excruciating.

Tatsumi was being escorted by Esdeath down every floor. She walked slowly behind him and watched his every movement, and Tatsumi's hands were still tied firmly to each other. It looked like he was still an ordinary prisoner about to be taken to his execution, but that wasn't really the truth.

Confusion roamed inside Tatsumi's head as he tried to make sense of everything. The most despised woman of the Empire was taking him to be executed, but also confessed her love to him. He was still struggling, having a hard time trying to wrap his head around it.

But he also knew that he had more immediate things to think about. Esdeath was trying to lure the other members of Night Raid to come to his rescue, and seemed pretty confident that it would work.

Tatsumi believed otherwise.

The people of Night Raid were smart, he had seen it for himself. They knew that sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't try to infiltrate the most guarded building in all of the Empire.

And he didn't need to worry about dying, either. Esdeath was, for whatever reason, completely head-over-heels for him. She said she wouldn't allow anyone to execute him, and considering how everyone around her obeyed her every will, he didn't doubt her.

"You've associated with strange people, you know that?" he heard the General ask.

As soldiers watched his every step, he didn't dare turn his head around to face Esdeath.

"You mean Night Raid?"

"Yes…" Esdeath's soft voice echoed behind him. "I'm interested to know their stories."

"Not my story?"

"Oh, don't worry." she giggled with mild excitement. "You and I will get to know each other better _very_ soon."

Chills went up his spine but he did his best not to show a reaction.

The General was head-over-heels for him, and he wasn't yet sure how he felt about that. He still suspected that she was simply tricking him or trying to throw him off his guard, but for the most part, her sudden feelings towards him seemed strangely…genuine.

And while Esdeath was a criminal…Tatsumi couldn't deny that she was an attractive and shapely woman…

Tatsumi blinked hard and almost gasped. What the hell was he thinking?

He tried to concentrate on what was important. He couldn't allow his mind to simply wander off to such weird places.

Instead, he started to think about his friends. He wondered if he'd ever be able to see them again. Probably not. He couldn't imagine any scenario in which he'd ever return to Night Raid, though that didn't fully upset him either. He had been constantly imagining what they would say to him after everything that had happened, and how disappointed in him they would be. He didn't want to face that, ever.

"Come on," Esdeath ordered, fastening the rope locking his arms in place. "Down the staircase."

Tatsumi obeyed. The two of them began their descent.

He went down the steps first, with Esdeath following every closely behind him. He couldn't see her, but knew when she was close-by thanks to the sound of her high-heels. It was strange that she had put on such shoes for this kind of occasion.

It started to get cold the further down he went. They must've been on the top floor of the Palace, the stairs were seemingly endless. It wasn't helping that the clothes that were put onto him were thin and terrible at insulation.

"So…Bulat, huh?" he heard an amused echo behind him.

For some reason, a wave of shock washed over him and his muscles had a slight spasm as the sound of that name came out of Esdeath's mouth.

"You know his name?"

"Indeed."

"I thought you didn't know him."

"I didn't, but I had a bit of time to do some research. His strength is definitely out of the normal, so I knew he held some kind of interesting backstory…and you wouldn't _believe_ I've found."

Tatsumi said nothing. Esdeath continued.

She spoke with a laugh. "Bulat Wilhelm. An islander who travelled to the Capital, eagerly joined the Imperial Army, and set the record for the fastest climb through ranks despite the heavy competition. It took him no time to gain the rank of Major, and eventually even Colonel."

"Islander…?"

"Research shows that his quick climb was thanks to his father, Lieutenant General Wilhelm. Rumour was he exploited his family connection to the military and bypassed all different kinds of regulations and overseeing, but officials never found any evidence to prove those suspicions."

"How…do you know all this…?" Tatsumi asked as he was struggling to take in all the information being given to him.

"I have my sources." Esdeath cackled, sounding full of adrenaline. "It's a shame I didn't pay closer attention to him when he was in the army. I could've recruited him."

"He wouldn't have joined the likes of you."

"Oh?" Esdeath cocked her head to the side. "You say that, but you don't know what he used to be like. I hear he was very loyal to the Empire, only choosing to leave it after a new Minister took over it all. "

"Minister Honest…"

Tatsumi still couldn't see behind him, but he knew Esdeath had nodded. "Indeed. He turned traitor on us once things weren't to his liking. He found my old friend Najenda, and the two of them set off together. They simply just disappeared…until now. All because they didn't like the way Minister Honest runs things, it's rather pitiful."

"He's a monster?"

"Oh, really? I assume you know him then?"

Tatsumi paused. "Uh, no."

"Then why do you call him a monster?"

"Because I've heard of the things he's done. He's made people of this country suffer without end."

"Nonsense. He's making things exactly as they should be. A world were anyone can live, no matter how weak and pathetic they are, is simply disgusting."

Tatsumi wanted to respond to something so ridiculous, but they had reached the end of the staircase.

They opened the small wooden slab at the bottom and stepped through, and the breeze of the outside hit Tatsumi and warmed him up slightly. He felt like he hadn't been outdoors in ages.

He looked around and saw what the execution grounds were really like. There was a central arena made of large patches of grass surrounded by massive outer walls that went up three stories, surmounted by a stone podium and several columns. The old raked areas of the inner walls had seats built into them, and it seemed like it could house at least fifty thousand people that could watch every last detail going on down below, and although all the seats were completely empty, Tatsumi could almost imagine all those people watching and judging him.

Tatsumi had lived most of his life as a simple villager. Seeing a colosseum this large was indescribably overwhelming to him. He could hardly believe that a place like this could even be made, yet he was standing right inside of it.

"This…is where the executions are…?" he gasped quietly.

"It's not all that impressive."

"You…" he finally turns to look at her. "You think Night Raid is going to enter a place so guarded? It'd be impossible for them, and they'd never try something like it."

He expected Esdeath to retort with something clever, but she only smiled at him.

The smile somehow frightened him to the core. He didn't understand why he had suddenly turned into such a coward around her, it wasn't like him to be afraid of someone just by looking at them.

"Come here," she said as she led him around by pulling on the rope holding his arms together.

She took him to a lonesome man standing down by an old pedestal. The man was large, much larger than Tatsumi, and he said nothing as they approached him. His muscles were almost bursting out of his clothes, and he unquestionable had the aura of a killer cloaked around him.

But at a second glance, Tatsumi wasn't all that weary of the man. Bulat was larger.

"How are you, my little gremlin?" she laughed as she handed Tatsumi to him.

The man got a hold of Tatsumi's ropes and gripped it tightly.

He didn't speak at all, and his entire face was covered behind a black mask. The mask looked like a cartoony devil with his tongue stuck out, it was incredibly odd to see someone casually wearing something like that.

"Little gremlin?" Tatsumi repeated.

"It's a cute nickname I've given him."

For such a bulky, muscular man the name couldn't have been more unfitting.

"…does he talk…?"

"Talk?" she placed her hands on her hips and grinned at the man. "No, that wouldn't be possible."

"Why not?"

"Because we cut his tongue out."

"Cut his…"

Tatsumi felt a little sick.

They had cut the poor man's tongue? All this time he thought the man had just chosen to remain silent, but now he realized the man couldn't speak even if he wanted to.

"So, what's he doing here?"

"He's the executioner."

Tatsumi shivered but didn't let it show. "But I thought you weren't going to execute me."

"Indeed, but I had to make it look like I was going to. I hired the most infamous executioner we had, I made it seem like we gave out invitations. Some of my own Jaegers aren't even aware that this isn't the real thing."

"You put a lot of thought into a plan that isn't going to work."

Esdeath looked highly amused by her loved one. "Oh my, playing tough now?"

"I'm just telling you the truth. Night Raid isn't a pack of amateurs, they're professionals. You underestimate them."

"Underestimate them? Me?" she responded, seeming rather surprised by Tatsumi's assumption. "Hardly. I put the entire Empire on high-alert once Night Raid showed themselves. I even personally formed an execution squad for the sole reason of countering them. I was well aware that they are professionals."

"Then why-?"

"Because they're weak."

There was a long pause.

She obviously expected him to understand what she was trying to say, but there was plenty of visual confusion on Tatsumi's face. He hadn't caught on for what she was implying.

"Weak?"

"I don't mean physically weak, Tatsumi. I mean they have the mind-set of the weak."

"The mind-set?"

"They think the Empire needs to be toppled down because it steps over people that cannot keep up. What they don't realize is that what we do is completely natural."

"It's not natural." he almost growled at her.

"It's a code that Mother Nature taught us, and the one that we rightfully live by. If you aren't strong, you die. If you are, you thrive."

"So many innocent people are slaughtered…because of that ridiculous code?"

Esdeath sighed and gave a bored shrug. "If they didn't want to die, they should've become stronger."

"You…"

He didn't know what to call her. He had never met a kind of creature like her.

Her logic was so backwards that he couldn't really make heads or tails of her. One second he believed he had her all figured out, and the next moment he doesn't understand her in the slightest. And when topped off with the fact that she seemed to have a crush on him for no reason, it was just all too strange for him to handle.

But no matter what kind of odd things she said, he wouldn't doubt his own beliefs. He knew what his friends were like and how they thought. They would never, not in a thousand years, walk straight into a trap.

"And it's because of their weak minds that they'll come." Esdeath continued unexpectedly. She grinned and stared out into the night sky. "Emotions will take over their sense of reason, and they'll foolishly run after you."

"Even if they did, which they won't, they'd never make it to such a secure place like this." Tatsumi frowned.

"I've already taken care of that. They'll make their way here, you don't need to worry."

Tatsumi froze.

What had Esdeath arranged that made her so sure that Night Raid would make it to the execution grounds.

He closed his eyes and did his best to believe in his friends and their willpower.

"Please," he whispered to himself, far too quiet for Esdeath to hear.

He took a deep breath.

"Please stay away."

* * *

They moved slowly down the crowded roads, the strange mixture of food and smoke aromas surrounding them.

The streets were extremely busy this night. It must've been a day off for most workers, as commoners had rushed out into public and getting their well-deserved rests. The pubs seemed to be the most crowded areas of the Empire now, with plenty men and women seeking the drink to wash away their worries.

Bulat sighed with dark circles under his eyes. "Looking at folks now, you'd hardly realize what a hell the Empire usually is."

He turned around and looked at the smaller person following closely behind him.

"Right, Akame?"

He could see her nod, but she didn't have anything to say.

The two of them stayed together carefully as they walked through the crowd. Both of them had thick veils over them, which covered most of their torso and also had hoods at the top for them to hide their faces behind.

With the black veil on, Akame was like a complete shadow. Bulat almost lost track of her here and there because of how well she was blending with the crowd.

Himself, on the other hand, was having a much harder time.

His large body and bulky physique just couldn't be covered behind the veil. He stood out as his height far exceeded anyone around him, and he noticed the consistent stares following upon him.

He pulled his hood further down and covered more of his face. If any one of them started to think that he looked suspicious, there'd at least be one person cowardly enough to go report it to an officer.

And with both Bulat's and Akame's faces already on plenty of wanted posters, there'd be no way out of that one.

Bulat took a deep breath and started walking slightly faster. He couldn't be spotted now, he needed to get to the execution grounds before they were met with any setbacks.

"Bulat." he heard a quiet voice whisper to him. He looked down to see Akame now walking beside him, her veil still tightly held around her. "Your breathing pattern is off. Your eyes are starting to look bloodshot. Your face has lost a lot of colour."

Just by a single glance, she could see everything wrong with him. He wasn't surprised by her keen and accurate observations. He'd seen it multiple times before, both in and out of combat situations.

A patrolling squad passed by.

Bulat and Akame both became tense and did their best to conceal their weapons under their cloaks. One of the soldiers momentarily glanced at the two of them, but they didn't stop moving and walked straight past them.

He clenched his fists and did his absolute best to remain calm. Ever since they first entered the walls, he had been a massive wreck. There was simply too much reading on what they were trying to do, and they didn't even have the support of their leader behind them. The two of them were completely alone on this one with no guidance, and while this hadn't been the roughest situation he had been a part of, this was still getting to him in a very paralysing way.

"There's the bulletin board," Akame mumbled as her red eyes glowed in the dark, staring at centre of a marketplace. "Invitations should be nailed onto it."

"Right." Bulat croaked as they motioned towards it.

As they approached the board, Bulat immediately recognized the wanted posters that were attached to it.

He saw a professional drawing of a younger him, with an incredibly hefty reward labelled at the bottom for his head. There was a look in the drawing's eyes, a ferocious, battle-hungry expression that Bulat had long since forgotten about. This wasn't the first time he had seen this wanted poster, but he never got used to looking his younger self in the eyes and being reminded of what he once was.

There was also Akame's, Najenda's, and Leone's wanted posters placed in a row beside his. For the first time, he noticed how undetailed Akame's poster was to everyone else's. The sketch of her was heavily blurred out, with only the outline of her head and hair being drawn properly. Her face was smudged and shrouded, with no nose or mouth, only two eyes that were sketched a little devilishly. As Bulat stared at it, he realized it hardly even looked like her.

"Bulat."

He noticed he had been in a quick daze. "Oh, uh, yeah?"

"There are no invitations."

"What?" he started paying more attention to the bulletin board, his eyes sifting through all the different papers nailed to it.

There was nothing about an execution. No advertisement, no announcement, and certainly no invitations for it.

Something was wrong. For the execution of even the lowest-ranked lackeys received public invitations, and plenty of people would come to watch the show. So for someone like Tatsumi, a confirmed member of the infamous Night Raid, the attention of least tens of thousands of people would be attracted to see his head sliced clean off.

Bulat took a step back from the bulletin board and turned his head to Akame, and she only looked back with nothing to say. She didn't understand the situation either.

"This is worrying."

Akame didn't react. "Do we turn back?"

"Of course not."

"Then let's not stop. We do not have much time."

They got on the move again, but this time they were jogging instead of walking.

Though he hadn't been here for years, Bulat immediately begun to recognize exactly where they were. They were going down the distillery distract that lead straight to the execution grounds. This place was basically an oversized brewery that had guards scattered all over.

But there weren't any guards. There was no resistance for Bulat and Akame to face. The massive district was completely empty and lifeless. There wasn't a single soul around, and the sound of their footsteps echoed louder than usual with nothing else to hear. This wasn't how he remembered the distillery at all, it was supposed to be crowded and bombastic, just like the rest of the Capital areas. Someone had purposely cleared out the whole place for them, that much had gradually become obvious.

No public invitation to the execution grounds, the path leading to the grounds being completely soldier-free…there was no doubt that someone only wanted Bulat and Akame to make their appearance. In no other circumstance could such an important place have no defences built around it. They were so close to the Palace already, but they weren't battling to the death to get there at all.

"Akame." Bulat groaned as he began to slow down. "Wait."

Akame stopped jogging and stared at him.

"This is concerning." she commented.

"It is."

"What do you want to do now?"

"I'll go the rest of the way by myself. You go back to headquarters and tell them what's going on here."

Akame shook her head but didn't frown. "Negative. I cannot leave you."

"Why not?"

"Remaining grouped up significantly increases our chance of survival."

It was true. If they decided to split up now, it only made things more risky. Whatever their plan was from here, they needed to do it together.

He stared out into the distance and saw the outline of the gates. Past those gates were the execution grounds, where either Tatsumi or a devastating trap waited them, or even both. Now was the time to decide what they were going to do next.

But Bulat had already made up his made, and his resolve was not something that was easily going to be broken. All of his instincts were telling them to turn back and avoid the trap set-up for them, but he wouldn't do that. He'd charge straight into the heart of the Palace and slaughter every last soldier with his bare hands just to get to Tatsumi, he felt a connection to that boy that he had never experienced before.

He slowly reached for the sword hidden behind his robe, and pulled out Incursio's key. It glimmered in the nightly glow, and he knew he was going to use every last ounce of its power in just a few moments.

With his mind set on what he was planning to do, he turned to Akame and took in a deep breath.

"Akame, will you do me a favour?"

The quiet girl didn't blink. "Of course."

"It'll be difficult for you, and it might not go the way I want it to, but you need to promise you'll do this one thing for me."

There was a shine in his eyes that Akame immediately recognized. Her sights were glued firmly onto his as she felt a heavy responsibility about to be dropped onto her.

"I understand, Bulat. What is the favour?"

And what he said next to her sent chills up her spine.

Her eyelids fluttered and she felt small tears gather up out of nowhere. She couldn't believe what he was telling.

She couldn't believe it at all.

Once Bulat finished his request, he put his hands on her shoulders and looked almost as upset as she did. "Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Will you do this for me?"

There was a long silence.

Akame's red eyes were filled with sorrow. "…Yes."

Then the two of them willingly charged into the trap.


	25. No 22: Kill The Ice

**Next chapter, let's go!**

 **Special thanks to Shadowprice, 2arkhanV01, ieatrocks, Tyrus708, and bloodmoonfox for following/favouring this story! You're the best.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Najenda and Leone stood in the dark, enclosed room together and stared down at the large box.

"That's a person." Leone whispered.

Najenda nodded. "Yes, it is."

"But...how? You said that this cargo box hasn't been opened in _months_."

"And?"

"That means that this guy has been lying here, in this cramped and dirty thing, without any kind of food or water."

Najenda lowered her head. "I don't know, Leone. I'm honestly just as baffled as you are. I thought Esdeath was guarding a weapon all this time, not some man."

"Do...you think he's dead…?" Leone asked, making it obvious that she didn't really want to know the answer.

"Yes, he is. I checked for a pulse, nothing."

"Why the hell would Esdeath be carrying around some dead guy?"

"I said it already, I don't know."

The two went back to staring at the lifeless corpse inside the box.

It was a young man, bulky and muscular. He had the unnatural hair colour of blue, and slightly darker skin from those of the Empire. His eyes were closed shut, and his large arms were both folded over his chest protectively.

He looked so peaceful, too. He had the kind of expression on his face that made him look like he was taking a short nap. It was strange to see, for both Najenda and Leone.

For so long, the strongest of all the Empire had been safeguarding a special crate with something indescribably precious inside, and it turned out to be this man. Just that alone confused the two of them to the point where they couldn't stop staring at him.

He was a true enigma.

"His clothes are odd." Najenda commented, her left eyebrow raised. "It's definitely not Imperial, but doesn't match any foreign style I know of, either. Leone?"

Leone shrugged. "You got me. I've never seen fashion like this. I mean, white over black with sleeves too long for his arms? It's just...a little unsightly, dontcha think?"

"That's not what I was asking. I'm meant, do you recognize the design from any of our neighbouring countries?"

"Oh, uh." Leone took another glance. "Nope."

The Revolutionary Army had proper doctors and alchemists working back at their several bases. If a few of them were here, they could've tested this corpse and given more information about him. It was unfortunate that Night Raid's own base was so far away and isolated.

With a tired sigh, Leone took a step closer to the crate and leaned in.

"What should we do with him, Boss?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"We could dump him in a nearby river, let the stream take him some place else."

Najenda frowned. "We lost Tatsumi just to get our hands on this, we can't just waste that."

Despite it seeming like what they had collected was useless, she couldn't just give up on it. This was Esdeath's property. It _had_ to be worth something.

"For now, just keep this between us. Night Raid already has too much to deal with, we can figure out what to do later." Najenda commanded.

"Sure."

Najenda then left the room. She wanted to check up on Lubbock.

She entered the next room outside, turned right, and slowly opened the door.

The room he was resting in was rather small, but had all of the medical equipment they had inside. She didn't know for how much longer he would need to be here, and that was worrying, since his injuries were nothing to scoff at.

His eyes opened slightly as she took a few steps towards him.

She thought she wanted to see how he was doing, but seeing him now only made her more upset.

"How are you doing, Lubbock?"

He blinked slowly. His mouth looked dry as he opened it. "I'm...okay."

"Are the painkillers working?"

"Kind of."

His gaze suddenly sharpened. "Akame and Bulat left, didn't they…?"

Najenda closed her eyes. "They did."

"They're brave."

"They're reckless, and possibly already dead."

Lubbock didn't get angry at her comments like the others. He seemingly couldn't.

"Tats means the world to us. You don't understand why we care about him so much because you haven't seen his bravery with your own eyes. He's...something else."

Najenda sat down on the chair beside Lubbock's bed. Her tired and weary gaze met with his, and the two of them relaxed themselves.

"I care about him him too, believe it or not." Najenda sighed, her head hanging low. "He's a good kid, and showed the potential of achieving something great."

"Then...why?"

"Because if I don't act with bias and think about things from a logical standpoint, who will, Lubbock?"

He propped his head up and looked away. "Not everything has to be logical. That's why Akame and Bulat decided to go against your orders. They _had_ to."

"I don't get it."

"You do. You just don't want to."

She didn't understand what he was trying to get it.

Despite always doing her best to understand her team and how they perceived things, it always went straight over her head. She just didn't know how to think the same way they did.

"Either way, you don't need to worry about that right now." Najenda commented as she pulled the blanket of the bed further onto Lubbock. "You just need to focus of recovering."

Loud footsteps followed as someone else charged into the room.

Najenda turned around to see Leone panting, her eyes wide open and her jaw dropped. She had quickly darted over in a frantic hurry.

"B-Boss…!"

Najenda got up from the chair. "What is it?"

"The man...in the box..."

"Yes?"

Leone looked up. The colour in her face had been completely drained.

"He's awake and moving."

"...you're kidding."

"I'm not..."

"But I checked him. He was _dead._ "

"Well now he's up and about, Boss!"

"What does he want?"

"You…won't believe me."

"Tell me, Leone."

Leone's sharp, yellow eyes softened as she knew how ridiculous her answer was going to sound.

"He wants to cook something."

* * *

As Akame and Bulat moved through the entrance, they were met with a massive stadium.

It was almost completely empty and desolate, yet it still felt like the entire world was watching them. Bulat was the first to check his surroundings, and he could immediately tell that there was no going back.

"Ah! You finally decided to join us!" a voice cheered from the other side of the stadium.

Bulat stared straight ahead.

A General stood opposite him, glaring at them carefully. Her eyes will locked onto her targets and her right hand was already holding onto the handle of her rapier.

Esdeath.

"You..." Bulat muttered, then raised his voice so that the General could hear him from their great distance. "You cleared out all the guards on purpose?!"

With a smile, she began walking slowly towards Bulat and Akame. It was the kind of smile that no one would ever want to gaze upon.

"That's right. I knew you wouldn't resist wanting to come and save your _dear_ Tatsumi."

Akame, who had been standing behind Bulat, made herself properly visible. "Target has been acquired."

"Me? I'm your target?" Esdeath giggled as she unsheathed her weapon. "What about your friend?"

"You won't give him to us willingly. We know that." Bulat growled.

"That's obvious."

His stare slowly narrowed down. He couldn't see what he was looking for. "Where is Tatsumi?"

Esdeath waved her left hand aimlessly. " _Somewhere_ in this colosseum, but also far away enough so that he won't interfere. I have someone guarding him."

"So," Akame's eyes glowed in the darkness of the night. "We have two targets then."

"I don't know who _you_ are," Esdeath's smile grew slightly. "But you're quite confident, aren't you?"

"We're going to crush you." Bulat spoke with a sharp tone as he also began advancing forward.

"Where are your friends, though? I planned for all of Night Raid to be here, not just you two."

"You weren't afraid of having to take us all on?"

Esdeath looked incredibly amused. "Well, it would've been an interesting warm-up."

Bulat turned to his partner. "Akame?"

She nodded. "Yes."

The two charged forward to the General with their Imperial Arms held closely in their hands. They moved with unimaginable speed, and the dust kicked up the moment they started running.

Esdeath immediately split the two apart by firing down a giant ice wall. The ice wall shot straight down the middle of the two assassins and pushed them away from each other, a strategic attempt at breaking up their co-ordination.

Bulat rushed in first and slashed his sword forward with all his might. His weapon clashed against Esdeath's rapier and sparks flew rapidly, but she had managed to block it despite all the force behind the swing.

She grinned as she dodged under the second slash and kicked Bulat in the stomach, watching happily as he spat out blood but remained standing.

"You should've stayed away. You're far too weak to face me, Bulat. I proved that to you in our first fight." she laughed.

Bulat looked up. He had his own smile.

"That's what she's here for."

In a flash of white, a katana was thrust forward, its sharp edge almost reaching Esdeath's neck before she stopped the blade with a block of ice.

"Wha-?"

The assassin's red eyes stared, unwavering. "Eliminate."

Esdeath backed away from Bulat and summoned more ice to repel Akame. The assassin followed after the General with blinding speeds, the two of them dancing around the stadium as their attacks collided with tremendous force.

"Hm," Esdeath hummed, focusing slightly more on the battle at hand. "You're rather fast on your feet."

The Murasame continued to cut against the ice as it was thrust forward, but simply couldn't slash through it. Akame moved as fast as she could, circling threateningly around the General to find an opening to attack, but was blocked off by impenetrable ice every time.

"How about _this?!_ " the General cackled in delight.

Massive pillars of ice appeared out of thin air and began firing down from the sky. They all fell down at specific angles and locations as to corner Akame and guarantee a hit.

Akame was swift and nimble, not it wasn't enough. After avoiding the first two pillars, the third one crashed into her and sent her rolling across the ground. The General was unrelenting with her attacks, as just before Akame got back to her feet, Esdeath was already there to deliver the lethal blow with her rapier.

"I won't let you!" Bulat roared as he dove straight into Esdeath and tackled her.

Esdeath was pushed a few meters away before she kicked Bulat a second time, sending him back as well.

She had managed to retain her smile throughout it all, and didn't look even slightly tired.

"Good." she giggled as a ball of ice came firing down to her opponents. "Dance some more for me!"

Bulat immediately donned the Incursio armour on the fly and clenched his fist as tightly as he could.

"Akame, get behind me!"

Akame did exactly that.

Just as the ball came close to crushing the two assassins, Bulat held out his right fist and punched the ice as hard as he possibly could, his muscles being tested to their absolute limits from the devastating pressure.

With his strength alone, he would've never managed to shatter the ice, but the reinforced power of Incursio gave him the boost he needed to break it just before it came into contact with the ground. Small shards of ice scattered through the air as it imploded into tiny pieces.

"Bulat..." Akame looked concerned.

Bulat panted for a second before looking back at his partner. "Don't worry...that was nothing..."

He was bluffing. He could feel his knuckles bleeding under his armour.

"I have to say, I'm disappointed. Is this all Night Raid has to offer?" Esdeath taunted, her face and body completely relaxed.

Bulat grimaced and took a step back.

This was just how he remembered his last fight with her going. He hadn't been given enough time to train himself to counter her better, and now their battle was going in the same direction.

But he held his head high. Akame was with him now, and he knew he could depend on her to back him up. She had already surprised Esdeath with her speed, and he knew she could manage to do so again.

If they could just knock Esdeath down for just a moment, he could break away from the fight and find Tatsumi. Once they had him and he was secured, all they had to do was make a run for it.

It wasn't the most structured plan, and it all depended on the two of them overwhelming the Empire's strongest, but this was all they could do. This was all that could be done in order to save Tatsumi.

And Bulat had sworn to save that kid. He was not leaving this colosseum without Tatsumi.

"Bulat," Akame whispered, holding the Murasame high above her head. "If you can break her ice sculptures again, I can get closer to her."

Bulat's eyebrows furrowed. "You think so?"

"I do."

"Alright." he took in a deep breath, knowing that he would have to damage his knuckles and his armour some more. "She's crafty, but that could work."

"She may seem strong, Bulat." Akame muttered without emotion. "But one cut is all I need to get rid of her."

Esdeath held out her hand and motioned it towards herself. "What are you two waiting for? Entertain me some more!"

The assassins didn't need to be asked a second time.

Esdeath watched as her enemies came running towards her in a straight line, and then tapped the ground with her palm.

Ice erupted from below and came charging up like spears. Bulat carefully ran in front of Akame and summoned his Neuntote, slicing down the spears one-by-one. He staggered slightly as each swing of his halberd took all of his effort, but he was gradually getting rid of them and getting closer to the General.

"I don't think so!" Esdeath laughed as a wall of ice was created in front of her.

"Bulat, now!" Akame roared.

Bulat could feel the warm, heart-pumping energy of Incursio suddenly flow through his bloodstream.

" _Graaaaah!"_

His right fist flew forward so fast it materialized a short shockwave upon contact with Esdeath's ice. The gauntlet part of Incursio's armour completely shattered as it collided with such force, but broke down the wall it had hit as well, causing Esdeath's protective wall to turn to nothingness.

Akame came out from behind Bulat and leapt over his shoulder, her katana pointed directly at its target.

The very tip of the blade came flying forward and was just millimetres away from Esdeath's neck. It was so close that the two assassins believed that this fight was already over. It came so close to grazing her skin.

But then Akame was greeted by Esdeath's excited grin.

"Nope."

Her elbow rocketed into Akame's face and knocked her completely off-balance. The assassin yelped as she fell to the ground and cupped her hands over her bleeding nose.

"Akame!" Bulat cried out.

The General looked pleased, but slightly unsatisfied. "I _did_ say you were fast, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"You..." Bulat growled, helping Akame back to her feet.

"I'm really going to enjoy dragging you two to the torture chamber." she spoke with glee.

Bulat could tell clearly what was happening. Esdeath had deliberately allowed the Murasame to get so close to her skin, even though she could've batted away Akame long before that moment. Esdeath was purposely letting him and Akame to attempt their attacks over and over, and not because she needed to, but because she wanted to.

It was just as the General had told them, they were just dancing for her.

Bulat's heart sank when he realized that this woman was a sworn enemy to their cause. This was one obstacle that they had to pass in order to reach their dream, yet it just didn't seem possible to do so. Even if all of Night Raid were here to battle her, Bulat still doubted a victory.

"Now then, let's finish this little squabble." the General rose her rapier to the sky, aiming it down at Akame's legs. "Once you've been stopped from moving, I can take you both away."

The rapier struck down in an instant, like lightning.

It pierced painfully through a large chunk of flesh, and blood gushed out from the wound it had created.

But it wasn't Akame's leg.

Bulat growled out in agony as he had allowed Esdeath's sword to be stabbed through his left arm. He could feel every last texture of the steel as it entered his skin, and could tell that the muscles in that arm had immediately lost all function as a result. He chewed down on his bottom lips and tried to endure the pain, but it was a tough thing to do.

Normally, an ordinary rapier wouldn't have been able to penetrate Incursio's armour, but with the force that Esdeath put into it...it cut clean through without trouble.

Esdeath's blue eyes were trained on him. "A fruitless effort, Bulat. You sacrificed one of your arms for nothing. I'm still going to break you two."

She pushed her sword further down and watched as Bulat's expression contorted with the increase in pain.

"I didn't..." Bulat gasped, his voice sounding weak for the first time.

"Hm?"

Bulat's head was hanging low. "I didn't want...to use this..."

"What are you-?"

"Akame..." Bulat whispered, ignoring the enemy in front of him. "Get...back..."

Esdeath expected his precious friend to protest, but Akame did exactly as he said and ran in the opposite direction. She knew something Esdeath didn't.

"What's going on?" Esdeath muttered, her smile slowly fading. "What are you planning…?"

Bulat grabbed Esdeath's rapier with his other hand, his grip on it firm and powerful. His palm bled, but he refused to let go. His body no longer showed any sign of pain, either.

His muscles began to pulsate unnaturally. His body mass started to grow slowly, becoming larger and larger as he gnarled quietly like an animal. Incursio's armour gradually became larger with him, with black horns sticking out from the sides of his helmet.

The gauntlets of the armour became claws, Bulat's canine teeth grew in length, and his eyes started to glow blue.

"What...is this?" Esdeath asked as she pulled her rapier out of Bulat's arm and stood back. Not afraid, but cautious.

"In any other circumstance...I would've never used something like this..." he spoke, but his voice sounded completely different.

The Empire's strongest took another few steps back and observed in awe as the person in front of her was now almost twice her size. Her opponent was starting to look less human and more...like a feral beast.

"This is...the only way...to kill you."

Esdeath summoned a second rapier made of ice into her other hand and stared down her new adversary. Frost danced off the edge of her skin as she prepared for a rougher fight.

"Bulat..."

"Esdeath..." Bulat growled furiously, his scaly armour now covering all of his body and face.

His eyes glared deeply into hers as he charged towards her, his claws laid bare to tear up the General's flesh like tissue.

" _You will die by my hands!"_


	26. No 23: Kill The Sanity

**Hello, thank you so much for waiting for this chapter! I hope I didn't make you wait too long.**

 **Special thanks to RevansStories, shanagan, kijimoshi, and taimurpro for following/favouring this story! You're simply the best.**

 **Now, without further adieu, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The earth shook with the weight of the battle.

The colosseum had never such destruction going rampant within its grounds. Its walls crumbled, its pillars shivered, and the grass beneath it was set ablaze. It had turned from an execution field to a battlefield.

A man charged straight ahead, and smashed down a massive wall of ice in front of him, grinding it down to mere specks.

Small petals of ice flickered through the air, making the weather in the colosseum slightly chilling.

Akame was standing back, surveying the area carefully and trying to locate Tatsumi. Bulat was in front, standing directly opposite the General.

Bulat gasped as he felt his skin tear apart. This was a kind of pain that he hadn't experienced in a long time, and the world around him fluttered as he gradually became light-headed.

His muscles were pulsating outwards, his teeth had become sharp and jagged, and Incursio's armour had taken on a different appearance. It was taller, wider, and became dragonic. The armour was originally a tough, metallic alloy, but was now soft and flesh-like, with scales adorning Bulat from head-to-toe.

Esdeath stood in front of this opponent, her eyes trained cautiously on him. She felt her rapier in her right hand, and a crystallized sword made of ice in the other.

"This wasn't in the records." Esdeath commented. "What is your Imperial Arm doing?"

Bulat panted, still feeling excruciating agony surge throughout his body. He was crouched on the ground, his eyes beginning to glow. He still looked relatively the same, physically, but the armour covering him made him look like a miniature dragon, setting an unnerving atmosphere in the field.

"I really didn't...want to do this..."

Esdeath's blue eyes were sharp. "What have you done to your armour?"

Bulat's gaze was weak, yet strangely threatening. "This is the technique...that Gensei taught me..."

"Gensei? That sounds...familiar."

"He was my mentor, and the previous wielder of Incursio's key. He told me...about this hidden ability..."

"What hidden ability?"

"The beast that was slaughtered to make this Imperial Arm," Bulat breathed heavily. "It's still alive, and its essence can still be tapped into...if you let it."

Esdeath looked calm, but intrigued. "So that's why your armour looks like...that."

"Gensei was a smart and brilliant man. He made sure to never use it, he knew the risks..."

"The risk of what?"

"Of letting a Danger Beast do whatever it wants to you, and change you to its liking..."

A small grin suddenly grew on Esdeath's face. "You're willing to let your Imperial Arm consume you...just to kill me?"

The dragonic armour motioned forward slightly, and Bulat held both of his hands out and at the ready.

She couldn't see his expression, but she could feel his emotions perfectly. Just the thought that an opponent would go to such lengths just to bring harm to her was...delicious. It was incredibly amusing to her.

"Come forth then, Bulat!" she cheered happily, a new spark of excitement brewing within her. "Show me what this transformation can do!"

Bulat watched her beckon him, and he knew that he would have to push himself to the limits.

He closed his eyes shut and remained silent for a moment.

His heart was hurting. It was beating unnaturally fast, and it felt like it was going to pop open and burst at any second. While others would've been seduced by the influence of a Danger Beast and relished in this energizing sensation, Bulat felt nothing but discomfort for it. Something was pumping through his bloodstream that didn't feel right, and it was giving him way too much all at once.

He could hear better, see everything clearly no matter how far the distance, and his thoughts were being processed relatively two times as fast as before.

This was the boost that his precious mentor had warned him about. The power that laid dormant within Incursio's key.

Something was scratching at the back of his mind, but he couldn't tell what it was. It was trying to say something to do but its echo was too distorted.

Even though it hadn't been more than a full minute since he triggered this power, he could already feel himself slipping. If he didn't end this battle quickly, the changes to his body and mind would become permanent.

He opened his eyes again and took in a deep breath.

 _Do it._

He whispered quietly to himself, pushing forward.

 _Do it for Tatsumi._

The wind blew in the complete opposite direction as Bulat launched himself forward, sending out a devastating shockwave behind him in an instant.

Ice materialized in his place, but with his velocity he simply rocketed through it and created a large crater in his wake. More ice followed to slow him down, with spears raining down and piercing the armour, but Bulat just kept moving. He was a nigh unstoppable force now, a wrecking ball that showed no signs of slowing down.

Bulat was amazed by how fast he was moving. He hadn't been expecting this kind of boost. It was difficult to adjust, and for a moment Bulat didn't know if he could even control all the power he had been given.

Esdeath held out her two swords in front of her, and blocked a seismic punch from Bulat's reinforced fist. The ground beneath their feet vibrated from the impact, and Esdeath was impressed by how much force she had needed to block against.

Bulat's glowing eyes could be seen through his helmet. "I'm going...to crush you…!"

"Please," Esdeath giggled in amusement. "I barely even tried to block. You're going to have to hit a little harder than _that_."

As Esdeath held her blocking position, Bulat raised his other arm high above his head. A sparking, electrifying energy surged rapidly within it, making it feel like all the muscles inside the arm had been set on fire. He held it up, charging the punch for as long as he could possibly hold it, then unleashed it all at once.

His fist collided with Esdeath's swords.

Wind picked up around the two immediately, creating a miniature tornado around them as several shockwaves had been made from the collision. If anyone had tried to get close between the two, the wind would've lifted them and torn them apart in seconds.

Once again, Esdeath had managed to block the punch, but this time her expression had changed.

Bulat couldn't tell how much Esdeath had struggled with that one, but she definitely changed her look once she had felt the force of it.

"Not bad." she nodded.

He quickly went for an uppercut to catch her off guard.

The General leaned back and dodged, then blocked two immensely powerful kicks from her opponent. Every time she had to block, however, she smiled more than before.

And each time Bulat unleashed an attack, it significantly more impactful from the previous one. He could feel his body performing like an engine, building and charging up energy repeatedly, shaking with inner power. It was reaching the point where his punches were moving too fast for himself to see and his kicks too quick to follow, he was reaching a boost he had never prepared himself for.

A barrage of punches followed Esdeath's down the battlefield, with blocks of her ice blocking them each time and breaking down from the collision. Esdeath continued to take small steps backwards and let her ice fight with Bulat instead, taking on his dangerous punches one-by-one.

"I'm surprised, Bulat. You're actually breaking down my ice."

" _Graaaah!"_ Bulat roared out like a vicious animal as he smashed down Esdeath's last block of ice.

"From a simple islander...to a man battling against a General of the Empire." Esdeath put her hands on her hips and gave a smug look. "You've come far. It's almost a shame that it'll end here."

"...you know about me?"

"I've done my research."

"Why?"

"Because you interested me. In our first battle, you used moves that I recognized very clearly. The same moves we teach our troops here in the Capital." the General smirked. "I wanted to know more."

Bulat could feel his body get stronger and stronger, but he remained calm. "My past...means nothing."

"Please, I know how loyal to the Empire you used to be. There was a time when you would give your life for us."

"Not anymore." Bulat shook his head.

His glowing blue eyes stared deeply into hers, and he realized he wanted to ask a question.

Just one.

"What about you, Esdeath? You fight so valiantly for the Empire. Are you loyal to them?"

Esdeath paused for a moment, and blinked.

Her expression was unreadable for a moment, but her usual smile soon found its way back onto her face.

"I'm loyal to myself. No one and nothing else."

Bulat's cracked his knuckles, dug his feet deep into the ground below him, and sent all the energy pumping through him into his legs.

"That's all I wanted to know."

He dashed forward, letting his armour empower him to its highest extent, to unleash hell upon Esdeath.

* * *

Dust picked up and cluttered the air.

Tatsumi heard sounds in the distance, faint explosions going off again and again. He closed his eyes and clenched his hands in frustration.

With all of his heart and soul, he had hoped no one would've come to his aid. He wasn't under the danger of execution, even if they didn't know that. He was going to be fine, all they had to do was stay away and forget about him.

He was kneeling behind a pillar within the colosseum, and couldn't see the fight that was going on. He wasn't allowed to show himself. It was torture, not being able to know what was happening, were his friend alright? Who came to save him, out of the people of Night Raid? All of them? Just one of them?

A small smile appeared on his face, despite feeling guilty about it almost immediately.

He was upset about the current situation, sure, but this also meant that the people of Night Raid cared about him. He still hadn't been with them for too long, so he didn't know if they actually wanted him around or not. If they were willing to come all the way to the Capital and take General Esdeath head-on, it meant he was of value to them. As pathetic as it was, it was heart-warming to Tatsumi.

Tatsumi gritted his teeth and felt something bubble up inside him.

He _had_ to help them. He couldn't let Night Raid take this burden on their own.

With his hands tied tightly behind his back, he turned and looked at the guard watching over him.

This was the most infamous executioner in all of the Empire, according to Esdeath. He was absolutely gigantic, towering over Tatsumi with his large build, and his face was completely hidden by a black mask. It depicted a demon sticking its tongue out, which was definitely not pleasant to look at.

If this man was a more feared executioner than Zank, Tatsumi shuddered to think of what the man was capable of.

Tatsumi weighed his options. He no longer had the Adayusu with him, Esdeath had shattered that Imperial Arm into a thousand pieces, and wasn't sure if he could take this man head-on.

He wasn't intimidated by the executioner, but Esdeath had left this man in charge of guarding him, which meant that Esdeath trusted his abilities.

"H-Hey..." Tatsumi whispered, a nervous smile on my face. "Can...can you let me go…?"

The executioner had Tatsumi's rope held in his right hand. It didn't look like it was the kind of grip you could just pry open.

The masked man didn't look his way. He didn't even make a sound. It was impossible to tell if he was even alive, the man was as motionless as an actual statue. Tatsumi had never seen someone look like this before, and he wondered what exactly was wrong with this man.

"What's your name?" he asked thoughtlessly.

He realized what kind of mistake he had made, and almost wanted to punch himself in the face. Esdeath had told him they had cut this man's tongue out. He couldn't answer that question, even if he wanted to.

Tatsumi remembered what Esdeath had called him from before, and wondered if that was actually the name he went by. The General had named him her 'little Gremlin'.

"G-Gremlin…?" he said anxiously, half-expecting the executioner to pummel him for calling him that.

But it worked. The man immediately looked down and turned his attention to Tatsumi. His face couldn't be seen, but he wasn't hostile either. He simply stared at Tatsumi from behind his mask, and made a small, friendly grunt.

"Is your name...Gremlin…?"

It obviously wasn't his real name, but he probably long since forgotten it while working at the Empire. Esdeath must've kept calling it over and over that it eventually became his new identity.

Gremlin gave a quick nod, and another grunt.

Tatsumi tilted his head and almost laughed. A man of this size, with muscles popping out of his skin, with a name like that…

There was something really wrong about it.

And now, after watching Gremlin simply grunt to respond, he felt so terribly upset. He didn't know much about the man, perhaps he had done awful things in the past to deserve it, but it wasn't a nice sight to behold. Tatsumi felt sorry for Gremlin. Pity.

"Gremlin, can you please untie my ropes?"

He stared at Tatsumi again. His silence lasted for quite a long time.

But, eventually, Gremlin shook his head and gave a deeper grunt. He held tightly on Tatsumi's rope and clenched his fist as hard as he could.

"Please, I'm begging you." Tatsumi spoke timidly. What he was doing was pathetic, but there was nothing else he _could_ do.

Gremlin took a step back and hummed in a deep tone. Tatsumi couldn't tell what he was trying to say, but it definitely wasn't a yes. The executioner seemed to _want_ to communicate with Tatsumi but also seemed unwilling to comply.

"Are you a good guy, Gremlin?"

The masked man paused his hum, then nodded his head.

"You're a good person, right? You don't want to hurt anyone. Esdeath forced you to become a bad guy?"

Like a charm, Gremlin immediately nodded his head again, bobbing it up and down. It was a tremendous yes.

"And she cut your tongue out when you became an executioner?"

Gremlin gave a slower nod.

"Was it because you knew something they didn't want you saying?"

Gremlin shook his head. No.

"Was it because you weren't being obedient to Esdeath?"

Gremlin nodded his head quickly. Yes.

"You poor guy. I feel for you." Tatsumi said, and he really meant what he was saying.

They were still complete strangers to each other, yet Tatsumi felt as though he knew this man very well. He could clearly imagine what kind of pain he had to go through, and what the Empire had done to him to make him obey.

"You know these people are cruel. You know what they do is wrong." he protested, giving Gremlin a soft and pleading expression. "You can stand up against them. Let me go, please."

Gremlin made a sound behind his mask, a grunt that almost seemed pained. He lowered his head and stared at the rope, his grip on it slightly looser than before. Tatsumi watched hopefully for the man to set him free, but the executioner was still holding on. He was refusing.

Tatsumi heard another explosion in the background. It was deafening, and gradually getting closer.

"Why, Gremlin? Why won't you help me…?"

The man made another pained moan. He wanted to say something, but couldn't manage it.

Instead, Gremlin knelt down close to the earth, just like Tatsumi was. The giant man stuck out his large index finger, and pointed it directly at Tatsumi. The boy looked back, confusion written all over his face.

"What…?"

Gremlin then pointed towards, signalling Tatsumi's to look at the dirt beneath them. Tatsumi frowned, he had no idea why the man wanted him to do this, but he listened anyway. He glanced down at the brown dirt hidden underneath a thick layer of grass, staring at the soil just like the speechless man was commanding him to.

For a few moments, he just gazed at the plain dirt, and nothing happened. He wondered if he had understood Gremlin wrong.

But, without any warning, the dirt he was looking at began to shift. Blinking a couple of times, Tatsumi thought his tired eyes were just seeing things, but he soon realized that the soil was actually moving all by itself, as though it had a complete mind of its own.

It formed small carvings in sharp, straight lines to look like letters. This was happening all by Gremlin's will, and as Tatsumi looked closer, he could see what the letters were spelling out.

 _I can't. I'm sorry._

Tatsumi immediately looked back up at Gremlin, his jaw shot wide open.

"How are you doing that?"

Gremlin pointed at the dirt again. Tatsumi watched it carefully.

 _It's my mask._

The black mask that had been covering the man's face all this time, with the ancient depiction of a demon with its tongue out, was the one doing this? Tatsumi had been amazed like never before.

"Is that mask...an Imperial Arm?"

The dirt shifted again.

 _Yes._

"Wow." Tatsumi looked incredibly impressed, then upset as he regained focus. "Why can't you let me go? I'm innocent, and you're a good person, right?"

Gremlin grunted sadly as the soil moved once more.

 _I can't._

"Why?!"

Tatsumi looked down at the ground one more time, and something sore built up in his throat as he saw the letters that had been drawn for him.

 _Esdeath will hurt me._

The realization hit Tatsumi hard.

Gremlin wasn't refusing to set him free because he was obedient and loyal to General Esdeath. He was refusing because he was terrified of her. Just imagining what someone as sadistic as her did to this man in order to make him so afraid of her...it turned Tatsumi's stomach and made him sick.

"You don't have to be a slave to her." he spoke confidently, looking at Gremlin dead in the eyes. "You can stand up against her."

The large man leaned back and seemed hesitant, shaking his head in fear.

But Tatsumi took a step forward and held eye contact. He said something to Gremlin that shook him to the core, and changed his world.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Gremlin couldn't say anything, and simply gasped instead. His body went rigid.

"So..."

Tatsumi gave a reassuring smile and held out his tied up hands, looking up at Gremlin with soft eyes.

"...will you help me?"

* * *

Every muscle in his body felt like it was falling apart.

The sky was full of ice shards. Large areas of the ground had been completely destroyed, leaving behind small craters in the earth.

An explosion followed that almost blinding Bulat as his fist collided with Esdeath's rapier. Just the force of that collision alone ignited the atmosphere, and set off what felt like was several shockwaves in every direction, breaking down and smothering the colosseum's walls as though they were made of paper. The battlefield was gradually being reduced to nothing.

"Good, Bulat." Esdeath giggled happily as her ice exploded right in front of her face. "This is much better."

Bulat couldn't think. He could only move. He could only move by pure instinct, letting his body do whatever it needed to do, as long as he could keep up with Esdeath.

A spear made of her ice pierced through his right arm, but he barely even felt it. He simply pulled the spear out, watched himself bleed for a moment, then got back to fighting.

He didn't feel like himself. He didn't feel like the man he once was. Little by little, the fighting techniques he had trained himself to learn and honed over the many years of his life...it all started to fade away. Instead, mindless punches and kicks became his only move-set. He gradually began to fight more ferociously, than thoughtfully.

He shattered two pillars of ice that were hurdling in his direction, then caught one of Esdeath's spears in mid-air and crushed it in the palm of his hand. His entire body felt like it was on fire.

His thoughts of doubt and anxiety slowly melted away, and he felt so relaxed without them. It was like a breath of fresh air, having no worries in his mind anymore. He didn't need to overthink everything around him as much as before. That was so exhausting to him.

Acting on instinct, it was how everyone should live.

He got right up into Esdeath's face, then watched as her rapier slashed down and created a huge gash on his left cheek.

He didn't feel it.

With an elbow to his jaw, he fell back and got kicked by Esdeath into the ground. He could hear something break in his body, one of his bones, but he couldn't feel that either. It seemed all sense of pain had been shut down throughout his system.

Still being pressed down by Esdeath's foot, he looked up and saw a gleeful look in her eyes. The General was definitely amused by their long, ruthless battle for each other's lives.

"Esdeath..." Bulat moaned, his body almost bursting with adrenaline. "Esdeath...Esdeath..."

"Hm?"

The General was flung back as Bulat suddenly leapt up, forcing himself back onto his feet.

With a laugh, Esdeath backed off and watched her opponent rise back up with confidence.

"Come on then, Bulat." she held her hands out in an inviting fashion. "Destroy me. Break down every fibre of my body. Do it if you can."

An animal-like snarl came out of Bulat's mouth.

He was planning on doing that even if she hadn't had asked. The only thing he cared about right now was tearing up this woman and leaving no remains behind.

"Bulat!" a familiar voice shouted out in the distance.

He quickly turned his head, eyes wide open. He saw a girl standing back, her expression unreadable. Akame.

"Tatsumi...I couldn't find him anywhere in the colosseum." she reported to him, her Murasame still held carefully by her side.

Right.

Bulat had only just remembered.

Akame was in charge of finding Tatsumi while he kept the General busy. Everything about that plan had completely been wiped from his mind, and even with a reminder now, he still couldn't fully remember the details about that.

For a moment, he frowned and looked back at the assassin. Her black hair, her glowing red eyes, her silver katana. It was everything that made her who she was.

But he couldn't recognize it anymore. As he looked at the girl in the distance, she gradually became less and less familiar to him, to the point where he started to wonder if he actually knew her. His mind was clouded, it was the exact opposite, it was so clear and washed that there wasn't much in there any longer. As hard as he tried, he couldn't recall any important memories about this 'Akame'.

It was strange to him. Something told him something was definitely wrong about that, but there wasn't anything he could do to fix it.

And the person she was talking about...

Tatsumi.

He kept repeating that name in his mind over and over, trying to get the memories flowing, but everything was vague. His memories of this boy were there, somewhere in the back of his brain, but he couldn't grasp them.

Who was Tatsumi?

He felt horrible for not remembering. He felt guilty.

A face popped into his mind, with long brown hair and green eyes, but it was too foggy to see the details. Something painful twisted in his stomach when he realized he couldn't recall anything more than that, and that his image of that boy was already too blurred.

He took in a deep breath, then shook his head.

No, it was fine.

He didn't need to think so much.

His only objective was killing Esdeath. It was all he wanted to do, the only mission that still remained present in his mind. Even if he had to break down his body and mind even further, he would ensure that she would die here.

Kill Esdeath.

Just kill Esdeath.

He kicked just one of his feet off the ground, and shot forward faster than the human eye could see. He was a complete blur as he held his right fist up and threw it at Esdeath.

Esdeath pulled her head back and dodged, then dodged again repeatedly as Bulat closed the gap between them. The two immediately jumped into close combat, and fists flew at a rapid pace. As each punch from Bulat came flying towards Esdeath's face, she would counter it with her arms, blocking each of them as they smashed into her.

The second Bulat saw his punches being blocked, however, he raised his right foot and went for her legs, his attempt at quickly slipping her off balance.

Even at the speed that Bulat was moving, the General laughed and simply took a step back, dodging the sweep entirely. She gave one simple jab to his chest as a follow-up, and watched with excitement as her opponent spat out blood almost immediately.

She was obviously loving this. More than anything, she savoured the sensation of toying with her foes and seeing them struggle. Especially when they were actually putting up a good fight, like Bulat.

"That's the way..." she sighed in relief as the flow of entertainment wouldn't stop. "This is exactly the kind of fun I relish in!"

Bulat's head twitched.

Fun?

 _Fun?_

Bulat wanted nothing more to see Esdeath's proud, smug face contort into misery and agony. To watch her enjoy this battle to the death was torture to Bulat, and infuriated him beyond measure. This was not a game, and he demanded to be taken seriously.

"Just..." he muttered, his voice suddenly becoming incredibly deep.

His scream actually hurt Esdeath's ears, but made her grin as much as she had ever done before.

" _DIIIIIEEEE!"_

Like a mindless beast, he dropped down to all-fours and pounced, galloping straight at Esdeath with nothing held back. His arms and legs sizzled with strength as he charged forward, sending out every last ounce of power that his Imperial Arm had given him, ready to completely demolish everything and anything that stand in his way.

Esdeath didn't bother stepping aside either, instead choosing to take her charging opponent head-on. Just the thought of what their impact would do excited her immensely, and she simply stood there in anticipation, waiting for the explosion that would follow quickly after.

But she was interrupted.

" _Gremlin, now!"_ the voice of a young boy cried out.

A masked, muscular man ran forward and dove down, digging his fingers into the ground. His hands touched the dirt, and in just a moment, the entire area around him started to shake.

Esdeath gasped as the grass she was standing on grew in size, then latched onto her ankles. Every last strand of the grass had suddenly unleashed itself onto her, pinning her down into one position and keeping her there. She raised her right rapier to cut down the mystical grass and be rid of it, but only more followed to tie up her hands as well.

She was being held in place incredibly forcefully, with enhanced grass squeezing her arms and legs as hard as it could. Something like that would've been incredibly painful, but the General simply looked annoyed.

"What the hell is-?"

But she wasn't given time to finish her sentence.

The very earth beneath her suddenly rose up, with piles and piles of dirt gathering up from both her left and right. She simply observed with a frown as the structure of the ground beneath her was changing, shifting and moving at a dangerously fast pace.

In just a few seconds, the earth to her sides had risen so high, she was sandwiched between two massive, towering walls of dirt. It was a spectacle like no other. Nothing of such strange proportions had never been seen by the human eye before, it was like the very fibre of the planet was working together in synchronization.

From a very long distance, a brown-haired boy cheered with a determined smile on his face.

"Yeah!"

And from the other side of the colosseum, Akame noticed the boy almost instantly. "Tatsumi…?"

He didn't hear her, he was too focused on his plan.

Esdeath was being crushed as two plates of the earth surrounded her, and she was immobilized. She groaned in frustration, hating all the amount of dirt that was falling on top of her. Once she had tugged hard enough to rip off the long grass what was holding her down, she raised her left hand and prepared to summon some ice to get her out of her dirt cage.

But she forgot about someone.

Her eyes widened as she saw Bulat coming straight towards her, moving so fast that the air around him was converging into one area, making him look like an actual bullet.

Her smile finally dropped as she realized what was about to happen.

The only thing that _could_ happen when someone moving that fast collided with a singular object.

Esdeath hadn't prepared herself for the devastating impact that was going to follow. Gremlin's interference had hindered her concentration.

She remained in the two plates of earth, and could only watch as a burning bullet zoomed directly at her.

"Oh my."

That was all she had time to say.

Before the entire colosseum erupted into a blanket of flames and shockwaves.

Tatsumi had planned for this to happen, and had braced himself for the explosion, but he was still instantly swept off his feet. He fell to the ground and watched as fire zipped over his head, just barely missing him. There was a storm of dust brewing in the air, and he had to close his eyes as hard as he could in order to keep all of it out. He tried to get up on one knee, but another shockwave came in his general direction and he fell down again.

He had never expected this much force, it was terrifying what kind of source could produce an implosion as destructive as this. Not once had he ever imagined anyone being able to cause all of this all by themselves.

When everything had finally subsided, Tatsumi still hesitated to stand up for a couple of seconds. He was so sure that a detonation like that would go on forever, but it had eventually died out like it should've.

He raised his head, saw Gremlin already on his feet, and sighed in relief.

Looking at where Esdeath once stood, he saw nothing but rubble now. The ground around that area had become completely blackened by the explosion as well. He didn't see the General at all, and wondered if she had actually been part of the explosion, causing every last trace of herself to turn to dust.

Would something like that actually happen to Esdeath? It didn't seem like anyone would survive what Bulat had unleashed.

But once Tatsumi surveyed the area properly, he found the actual answer.

A gargantuan crater had been created in one side of the colosseum's walls, it looked like a wrecking ball had just smashed through it.

But it was human-sized. It wasn't a wrecking ball that had been flung into that wall.

It had been Esdeath.

Tatsumi stared out, completely frozen in shock. The explosion had sent the strongest in all of the Empire flying directly into a stone wall. Something like that would shatter every single bone in a person's body, there was _no_ way the General had survived something like that.

Rubble was covering most of the crater, however, so he couldn't see her. He wasn't sure if he wanted to. She had been most likely reduced to nothing but a tiny puddle.

He heard frantic footsteps. He looked to his right to see a very familiar face.

"Akame..." he smiled.

The girl didn't smile, but he could tell she was relieved. "Tatsumi, you're alright."

"Yeah." he nodded. "All thanks to Gremlin over here."

"Now we need to run."

"Run? What are you talking about? We won!"

"No," Akame quickly shook her head, the sound of urgency clear in her tone. "This will only slow her down for minute, maybe even less. We have to go."

Tatsumi couldn't believe what he was hearing. "S-Seriously?"

"Yes. Let's check on Bulat, then run as fast as we-"

The assassin was cut off short.

Gremlin, Tatsumi, and Akame turned around at the same time as they heard someone approaching. For a second, Tatsumi's heart froze as he thought Esdeath was already back up and ready to kill.

But it wasn't Esdeath walking towards them.

It was a creature, white skin. It had scales covering its entire body, giving it a sleek, reptilian look. A tail stuck out from its backside, two horns dangled unnaturally from its head, and its jaw was wide out with its teeth bared.

Each tooth alone was around half the size of Tatsumi's side.

The young boy felt his body go cold, then numb.

It was a dragon.

It was only slightly taller than them, but it felt like it looked down on them like insects. Tatsumi had seen or heard of plenty of different, odd beasts that roamed the land, but none of them looked as horrifying as this one.

Tatsumi took a step back and gulped. "A...Danger Beast…?"

"No." Akame answered, standing motionlessly as the small dragon approached them ominously.

Its glowing blue eyes glowed in the night, and it gave a deep snarl as it bared its claws out with murderous intent.

"Akame…?" he whispered as quietly as he could, his body shivering from head-to-toe.

"You don't recognize him anymore, do you?" the girl responded, her voice full of sorrow.

"No...you don't mean-?"

The dragon took one more step closer.

Akame lowered her head, gave an apologetic bow to the creature, then slowly went for her sword. As she clasped Murasame's handle and pulled it out of its sheathe, her hand trembled.

"Hello, Bulat." she muttered to the dragon.

Something cold pierced Tatsumi's heart, something that immediately caused him to start crying. Tears flowed down his cheeks with no end in sight.

Tatsumi could only watch in pure horror after that.

As Bulat leapt forward to reduce them to nothing but chunks of rotten flesh.


	27. No 24: Kill The Execution

**Hello, time for the latest chapter!**

 **Special thanks to UltimateEzel, The Hayate type 4, MaddenMobileJesus, Silver7875, JawsOnYou67, KryptekWolf, TheRisingDragon, and demonicvirus for following/favouring this story! You're what keeps this story alive, and you're amazing.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Here, why don't you take a seat…?"

Najenda pulled out a chair from under the dining table, and placed it in front of the odd stranger. Her tone was unnatural. She didn't know how to speak to him.

A large man, significantly taller than Leone and Najenda, stared at them. His short blue hair was a mess, and split to two sides by the horns sticking out of his skull. He had a beard of his face as well, thick and untreated. His eyes were trained on the people in front of him, and his expression was deadpan.

Najenda watched as the man slowly walked up to the wooden chair, glared at it like he had never seen anything like it before, then very carefully sat down on it. He sat up straight, his hands on his lap, the most unnatural way for anyone to sit on something.

She had no idea what she was looking at. The man looked human, but was unquestionably something else. He had been in a cargo box for what could've possibly been years, and the horns only made things more peculiar.

Leone stood behind Najenda, her Imperial Arm already activated and at the ready. She didn't want to threaten the man, but was prepared for anything that might've followed.

Najenda sat down on the chair opposite of the man, and raised an eyebrow.

"So, how are you feeling?"

He wasn't looking at her anymore. His attention had turned to the food that was on the table. He stared at the bread, the butter, and the small chunk of cheese on the white plates. With an intrigued look on his face, he started poking the side of the bread with his index finger.

"Um, sir…?"

The man poked the bread two more times, then finally looked back at her.

He tilted his head to the side. His attention was on her, but he still wasn't answering her question.

"Do you want something to eat?" she asked.

The man then spoke for the first time to Najenda.

"No, I do not require such substances."

His voice was deep and masculine. The way he talked sounded a little plain and without emotion, but not like a machine either. He sounded human.

Najenda was still reeling back a little from shock. "What's your name?"

With a long pause, the blue-haired man didn't answer.

He lowered his head down slightly and started to frown. As a few moments went past, he looked confused and thoughtful, as though such a simple question was the most difficult one he had ever been asked.

"...Susanoo."

"That took you a while."

"I could not remember it. It was hard for me."

Najenda blinked. "...are you suffering from amnesia?"

"I do not know what that is."

Najenda leaned back in her chair and tried to process what she was witnessing.

She had never met someone so strange before, and she had her fair share of meetings with odd people in the past. There was something very off about the man, more than just the unexplained fact that he used to be Esdeath's possession.

"Do you know where you are?"

Susanoo looked at his surroundings, then shook his head. "This place is not familiar to me."

"Do you remember being held in a box?"

"I remember stepping out of one." he answered. He was showing a little more emotion on his face, tilting his head to one side. "I don't remember getting inside of it, though."

Najenda had confirmed it. This man had a bad case of amnesia.

If he couldn't recall being part of Esdeath's cargo, he obviously didn't have the answers she wanted. He didn't know why he was in there, or what purpose he was supposed to serve for the General.

"You were held in that box for months, Susanoo. Maybe even years." she explained to him. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Susanoo raised his chin up and stared at the ceiling.

He stared and stared, as though not even a single thought was going through his mind anymore. With a moment or two of complete silence, he continued to look up and say nothing.

Then his expression changed. It looked like something had clicked inside his mind.

"I served a General." he muttered, sounding slightly unsure. "I don't recall his name, but I was his bodyguard and his first line of defence."

Leone sat down as well, relaxing herself.

She leaned in and gazed at Susanoo. "...an Imperial General?"

"Yes. He served the Empire."

"Maybe I know him..." Najenda mumbled to herself, then spoke up. "What did he look like?"

"I'm sorry." Susanoo said politely and apologetically. "My memory of him is very vague. I cannot remember his appearance or his name, only his existence."

Perhaps this was Esdeath's doing.

Perhaps she had somehow wiped this man's memory, as a fail-safe if anyone was to take him from her. It would make sense, protecting her classified information that way. Even though Esdeath was confident, she still knew she needed to consider every possibility.

Najenda thought of what to do next with Susanoo.

She could send him to one of the nearby villages, and hope someone would take him in. He seemed delirious as of now, and needed to be taken in by people that could take care of him and get him back on his feet. A man with amnesia wouldn't get far on his own, not in the world they lived in.

"Have you worked with alchemy, Susanoo?"

The man paused. "Al...chemy?"

"You were able to survive so long without food and water, and those...horns on your head..." she pointed at his head with a frown. "Have you been altering your body through alchemy?"

"No. That is not the reason I have this appearance."

Najenda couldn't think of another reason. "...then why?"

Susanoo paused again.

It was clear he was struggling to tell her. He didn't know how to say what he wanted to say, the vocabulary was forgotten inside.

"I am…a weapon." he answered, failing to recall the exact name.

"Weapon?"

Susanoo looked to his right, and saw the knife resting on the table.

He slowly reached for the knife, causing Leone to stand back up and ready herself.

Susanoo didn't notice.

He raised the knife and held it close to himself. With a blank look, he pointed the sharp end of the knife against his left hand, rubbing it against his own flesh.

Najenda watched in awe as he cut the back of his own hand open, cutting a large gash on it. The knife went deep into his hand before Susanoo pulled it back out, and held his hand out for her to take a good look. She looked at the cut, and couldn't believe what she was seeing.

There was no blood, no veins, no more flesh under the first layer.

Nothing but a white, artificial fabric.

And Susanoo showed no signs of pain throughout the ordeal. Once he was done, he put the knife back on the table, and it was as clean as before he used it.

In just mere seconds, the cut on his hand filled back up, and the skin on top snapped back together. It was like nothing had ever happened to him in the first place.

"You're..." Najenda whispered, her hand clasped over her mouth. "You're a biological-type..."

Leone looked just as startled as her boss, perhaps even more. "An Imperial Arm…?"

Susanoo's eyes widened for a moment. "Ah, that's the word. Imperial Arm."

Najenda fell silent. She was even more overwhelmed than she was a few minutes ago.

But now the pieces were coming together for her. Esdeath was holding an Imperial Arm all this time, and a biological-type one at that. That specific type of Imperial Arms were rare, and finding them was far easier said than done. It must've cost Esdeath heavily to get her hands on something like this.

Najenda looked back up and tried to respond.

Hesitation stopped her.

So far, she had been talking to Susanoo thinking he was a human. Now that she realized he was simply a walking weapon, she wasn't sure what kind of tone to take with him.

"You seem distraught." he noted, still sitting patiently in his chair.

"No, not at all." Najenda did her best to just speak naturally.

"Then, if I may ask, what will you do with me?"

"Huh?"

Susanoo put his hand on his chin. "Do you plan on using me? It has been a very long time since I was in combat, I might not be of use to you."

"If we can't use Imperial Arms ourselves," Leone answered instead, her stare locked onto Susanoo. "We send them straight to the Revolutionary Army."

"I see."

Najenda gazed at the man. She wondered if there was anyone in Night Raid that could use an Imperial Arm like him.

Gaining Imperial Arms was always important, and even if they didn't capture this one on purpose, they could still see if he was helpful to them. It never hurt having more options, especially with the line of work they were in.

"What are your specialities, Susanoo?"

"Regeneration, hand-to-hand combat, cooking."

Najenda nodded, liking what she was hearing.

Until she heard the last thing Susanoo said.

"Did...you say cooking?"

"That is correct."

"Cooking." Najenda repeated.

"Yes?"

The woman gave Susanoo an annoyed look. "You're an Imperial Arm with the installed feature of...cooking."

"Indeed." Susanoo confirmed, not understanding Najenda's reaction. "I can make the finest gourmet meals with a minimal amount of ingredients."

Leone raised her right eyebrow. "That would make for a nice change from Akame's cooking."

What an oddity this Imperial Arm was.

Najenda was wary of the man, and unsure if he would actually be of use to them, but she would keep him around for a while longer. Who knew, perhaps he could be the most powerful Imperial Arm in their arsenal. Only time would tell.

"This is, of course, assuming that you have someone here that can operate me." Susanoo quickly followed.

Najenda turned her head. "You're not operating right now?"

"I am, but this is my...free-roam mode, you could call it. None of my abilities are available as I am right now. I need a wielder."

"Hm, makes sense."

She would have to test the people of Night Raid to see if any of them were compatible with Susanoo.

But the moment she reached the thought of Night Raid, something twisted in her gut.

She remembered that Bulat and Akame had left the hideout, and could currently be captured or dead.

Her thoughts weren't clear as of now, she couldn't do her job properly while thinking of what could be happening to the others. She did everything she could to stop their suicide mission, and now could only wait to see if she would lose her precious members.

As Leone started chatting to Susanoo to figure him out better, Najenda phased out and went into a daze.

She looked up at the window to her left and stared at the sky outside. Her gaze was met with the elegant stars in the night.

At this very moment, they could've been going one-on-one against the strongest in all of the Empire. Najenda knew that ruthless, merciless woman more than anyone else, and she feared of what she would do to people who opposed her.

As much as she believed in Akame and Bulat's strength, she knew better than to bet against Esdeath.

That woman would crush all those in her path. She feared for her friends' lives, and what kind of pain they would be forced to endure in their efforts.

She wanted her comrades to come back home.

She wanted her family back home.

* * *

Something had washed over his consciousness.

After a long, stressful day filled with nothing but work, Wave had decided to lie down on his bed and just take a breather.

But before he realized it, his eyelids forced themselves shut and he fell straight asleep.

He was awaken up by the feeling of something warm pressing against his chest. It was something heavy, and Wave couldn't push it off. He wiggled around in his bed with his eyes shut, hoping the weight would lift off of him, but it refused to do so.

With a groan, he opened his eyes.

He saw Kurome lying on top of him.

It took him a moment to let the situation sink in.

He realized they were right on top of each other. His face went completely red.

Kurome didn't seem to notice.

"You're sleeping on the job again." she muttered, her voice lacking any kind of emotion.

"Why are you on me?!" he gasped.

"Nothing else would wake you up, I even splashed water on your face." she told him off. "I thought I'd sit on you to force you awake."

She got off but Wave could still feel himself blushing. He wondered if Kurome was seeing it. She didn't seem like she was.

He felt the moisture of water on his face and wiped it off. It was true, not even splashing his face was able to get him out of bed. He must've been in the deepest sleep of his lifetime.

"General Esdeath will punish you severely if she sees you like this."

Wave already knew that.

He stood up and stretched his legs. He didn't know what had come over him, but he promised himself he wouldn't let it happen again. The stress of the day had just gotten to him.

He turned his head. "You care if she punishes me?"

"It would mean punishment for me too, as I would be accused of letting you sleep during work hours."

"Right..."

Wave didn't like to admit it, but he was a little happy.

As much as it sounded wrong, he thought of how this was the best waking up he had ever experienced. To suddenly open your eyes and see a beautiful girl lying on top of-

Wave stopped himself. He felt like punching himself in the face.

That was not something to be happy about. They were allies and nothing more. He was a respectful protector of the Empire, not a sleazy pervert.

He cleared his throat.

He had spent a few months with Kurome now, with the two of them usually assigned the same tasks around the Palace. They were often together throughout the entirety of every day, and Wave was finally comfortable being around and talking to her. He almost considered the two of them as friends, even if they were just doing chores together.

That didn't change the fact that Kurome was still cold. She always acted with the actions of pure logic, and never emotion. Every now and then he would try to get her to make some kind of reaction, trying to break the ice by telling a joke or something, but nothing ever stuck. She never met him halfway on that, and it _did_ sting sometimes. More than anything, it bothered Wave that he never knew what was going on in that head of hers.

But there was something about her that made him stick with her, and he found himself spending way more time with her than the other Jaegers. She was definitely more...grounded than the others. The most normal.

And recently, she was even offering her sweets to him every now and then. It wasn't something to be too proud of, but for someone as cold as Kurome, it was probably an honour.

He scratched the back of his head. "Where is everyone?"

"The Conference Room."

"Let's go check up on them, then." he said as he went for the door.

Kurome followed silently behind him.

She did that often.

Wave made his way down the hallway and stepped into the Conference Room. It took him a while, but he had finally memorized the layout of the Palace and its rooms, able to navigate them without getting lost anymore.

Run was the first to notice him, and clapped his hands.

"Wave! How good that you could join us."

Wave raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd be in your room, reading one of your books."

"Well, it's nice to socialize with your comrades every now and then."

He saw the long table that everyone was sat at.

To his shock, he even saw the Twins sitting down at the very end of the table. As always, they were right next to each other, almost attached by the hip.

He was surprised to see the two of them out of their rooms ever since Relica's injury. The poor girl had left her arm thanks to the cruel and calculating Night Raid.

Even more than that, Relica lost the arm with the bracelet that allowed the Twins to summon Synchronive, the massive bow and arrow.

The Imperial Arm required the perfect synchronisation of two users, and two bracelets to be worn on the wrist in order to summon the its true form. Ever since that incident, Relica had been behind locked rooms in medical care, and her sister right beside her at every step.

For them to be with everyone again was a surprise, but a pleasant one. Wave secretly wanted to see how the two were doing.

Even at times like these, however, the Twins still had their masks on. A red fox mask for Relica, and a white one for Elica.

They never seemed to take it off, no matter what the situation. It made Wave wonder just what they were hiding underneath, and what they actually looked like.

"Hello, Relica, Elica." he gave a polite bow, hoping they would respond.

Relica remains silent. Elica speaks. "Hello, Wave. It's nice to see you."

But he could tell that she was lying straight through her mask. Her tone was sharp and cold, letting everyone know that neither of them were in the mood for a chat.

Wave did his best not to let it bother him. He hardly even knew them anyway. With Kurome stepping away and sitting down at the table, he starts to walk over to his own chair.

"Any news?"

Boros was the only one to speak up. He was as timid as ever, sitting quietly and obediently. "I was given another execution mission."

"Execution of what?"

"More camps housing a large amount of rebel soldiers." he muttered, then shuddered for a moment. It was quick, but Wave caught it.

Out of everyone, Boros always seemed to be the one least comfortable with his line of work. He wondered what exactly it would take in order to get that man in a cheerful mood. By the looks of it, something like that would be a monumental task.

The sailor rubbed his tired eyes. "It's just the same mission over and over again, just at different places."

Run had directed his gaze back at a book in his lap, but was paying attention. "That bothers you?"

"I thought the Jaegers were made to fight Night Raid, not raid small camps. I feel like our Imperial Arms are just rotting away."

"Those who rush into battle are the first and only ones to die." Run answered back with wit, making it painstakingly obvious he had read the quote from somewhere.

The blonde Jaeger noticed an annoyed glance from Wave, and gave a quick chuckle. "What I mean to say is, there's no need to rush the Empire's strategies. Our time will come."

Sitting next to Run, a middle-aged man was frantically tinkering with a small mechanism he had put onto the table.

The man's bright blue eyes sparkled, and the Doctor grinned suggestively at Wave.

"You boys and girls already had some fun, anyway." Doctor Stylish giggled as he put his screwdriver back into his lab coat's pocket. "I heard of your clash with Night Raid at Duvian's party."

Wave shook his head, and felt slightly irritated. "That doesn't count, it was only two members of Night Raid. _And_ they got away."

Doctor Stylish finished putting the metallic lid on whatever tiny device he had been working on, and shrugged his shoulders unenthusiastically.

"Still sounded like a blast, I would've _loved_ to have been there..."

Wave never wanted to think about that party ever again, it made him feel awful.

Esdeath had planned out every last meticulous detail of capturing the intruders of Duvian's mansion, yet they had still failed her. It wasn't just his fault alone, and the Twins were probably more ashamed of the loss than him, considering Relica's injury...but it still made him feel plenty of his own shame.

He needed to stop thinking about that night. It would drive him mad.

"So, where _is_ Edeath?" he asked, trying to think about anything else. "I didn't see her on my way here."

It was strange that she wasn't around to bark some new order at him. Every day she would either force him to do chores around the building, or spar with her in the courtyard. Now it just felt odd that he hadn't been summoned.

Seryu piped up, Coro sitting silently in her armoured lap. "She executing a rebel right now!"

Wave faced the girl, but didn't properly make eye contact with her.

There was something undeniably unsettling about her, just the way she spoke seemed wrong. He didn't want to be rude or hurt her feelings, but he also failed to be comfortable interacting with her.

"You sound happy."

"Of course! That rebel was part of the evil Night Raid, this is a big victory for us."

The world froze around Wave.

He didn't stagger. He didn't fall. He didn't make any kind of sound.

But he felt his body freeze right up.

With all that had been going on, he had completely forgotten about their capture of Tatsumi from Night Raid. That young boy had been tied up all day, and awaiting the votes from the Jaegers on whether or not he would be locked up or slaughtered like an animal. Something like that was terrifying for the boy, and while he _was_ a criminal, it was something unthinkable.

And yet, Wave had allowed the subject to just slip out of his mind. He felt like an utter fool, and his blood boiled with hate and contempt for himself.

He slammed his fist down onto the table and got everyone's attention.

"Who the hell voted for that boy's execution?!"

There was a short pause. A very short pause.

Then everyone's arms were raised, even the quiet Twins.

Wave couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was the only one out of the entire Jaegers that tried to stop the torturing and killing of Tatsumi. Everyone else in the room with him was completely fine with such a notion, despite how horrible and inhumane it was.

There were a thousand things he wanted to say. He wanted to shout at them with such force that it would destroy his throat, he wanted to tell them just how monstrous they were for letting all of this just happen.

But he just couldn't. He didn't have the time.

"Wave?" Seryu looked confused, and tilted her head to the side. "Why are you so upset? He was evil..."

Wave spun on his heel and barged out of the room.

He surprised himself at just how fast he was running. Unaware up until that point that his feet could carry him so quickly, he dashed straight down the hallway and moved faster with every step. With anger and sorrow burning deep and painfully inside his chest, he made a direct sprint straight to the execution grounds.

He almost lost all balance as something tugged tightly onto the back of his shirt. Slowing down but not stopping, he yanked his head back to see who was holding onto him.

Kurome was running beside him, trying to make him come to a complete halt. There was a look of urgency on her face.

"Wave. Don't."

Her words were soft and gentle.

But he was too furious. The words were being spoken right to him, but felt so far away.

"This will be the biggest mistake you could make."

He just couldn't listen.

A part of his heart wanted to. It would be so much easier to just let things happen, and ask questions later. There wouldn't be any hardships or risks by doing so. No stress to weigh down on yourself.

But something was burning in him, fueling the horrible feeling in his chest, and he knew he couldn't just stand by.

In the spur of the moment, he didn't care about anything else he did. None of the doubts in his mind were able to crawl into his consciousness.

He shoved Kurome's grip off of him, and ran even faster than before. He didn't know if he was actually running faster than her for once, or if she had given up, but she didn't catch up to him this time.

With his Grand Chariot's key held ready in his hand, he ran as fast as he could manage. His feelings spurring him across with every single step that he took.

He would end this madness.


	28. No 25: Kill The Dragon

**Hi, thank you so much for your patience! This chapter took way longer than expected!**

 **Special thanks to zsturdivant82, VTXD, Shaaazaaam, xKaizer, and ISKREAMAN for following/favouring this story! Your support is seriously appreciated!**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

Never before had Tatsumi been so afraid.

He could feel his body dripping with sweat, his vision blurring out and making him feel like he was going to faint. The light-headed sensation was bursting through his head, demanding that he simply fall down and lose consciousness.

But he couldn't make it disappear. He couldn't make the sight in front of him just go away.

He could only watch in despair as Bulat slowly trudged closer and closer to them, with newly-grown fangs hanging out of his jaw. He snarled and growled ferociously, like a mindless animal, with only the hunt being its current thought.

As Tatsumi knelt down on the ground with fear, Akame walked over and stood directly in front of him. She already had the Murasame unsheathed from its housing and pointed at their friend. As the night sky dropped over like a blanket over the area, her red eyes glowed in the thickness of darkness.

"Tatsumi. Stand back, and turn around." she commanded, her tone lacking any kind of emotion. "You don't want to see what happens next."

There was a hundred things he wanted to say at that moment. So many different things that he wished to cry out to both Bulat and Akame.

But he was utterly terrified, and sitting on the ground frozen. It felt like no part of his body was able to function anymore. The fear and sorrow of seeing this demonic creature in front of him with Bulat's name. He wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if this had all turned out to be a nightmare that he would suddenly wake up from.

The truth was obvious, however.

This was reality.

This was a cruel, twisted reality.

Another loud snarl came from the human-sized dragon as it continued to walk forward, moving ominously towards Akame. With her blade out, and holding it high over her head, she was making it so Bulat would attack her first.

But then the dragon's head rose, and it began sniffing the air. It snarled again as it picked up a better scent than Akame.

And Tatsumi gasped as he watched Bulat walk towards him instead.

Akame immediately shifted to the left and blocked the dragon's path, her grip on the Murasame still firm.

"Leave him be, Bulat. Attack me." she was speaking softly, but as though she was just talking to herself.

The beast wasn't waiting for permission.

It leapt up into the air and instantly came crashing back down to the earth, causing a seismic tremor that tipped Tatsumi off-balance and made Akame slide back in order to dodge the tremendous impact.

Now Tatsumi had seen it for himself, this creature really was willing to attack them like they were nothing but fodder for its insatiable rage.

He scrambled onto his feet, grabbed the silent Gremlin standing next to them, and started to run in the complete opposite direction.

He ran and ran, leaving the beast to Akame. His mind was a total blur, unable to do anything but follow its base instincts.

He didn't have an Imperial Arm anymore. He was powerless, and utterly horrified by the dragon that had entered the colosseum. There was no way he could face something like that.

Gremlin hadn't reacted the entire time. He couldn't speak without a tongue, but with his face covered by a mask, it was impossible to tell what the executioner was dealing with the current affairs. Instead, the masked man just stood by Tatsumi and observed at what was unravelling.

Bulat roared as he threw his fists forward and tried to grab Akame in his enlarged claws.

He was no longer using any fighting techniques. He was using brute force and nothing else, attempting to strike down everything without a single thought.

It first looked like Akame was going to attack back, but instead she kept moving backwards and taking small leaps. Bulat slashed away with the purest intent to kill, but his claws kept missing her just by the smallest distance. Without his normal techniques and strategies, he was incredibly easy to dodge for the female assassin.

But she was falling back by not counter-attacking. She hesitated again and again as she stepped back, the tips of her hair strands being sliced away by his razor-sharp nails. Just dodging was causing her to slowly be cornered and held down into one position, and her legs were becoming strained from moving so fast.

"Bulat," she whispered as she ducked her head and dodged a punch from her friend. "If there's even a fragment of you left in there, show it now."

The beast roared again, then shot forward and tried to bite Akame's head right off of her neck.

The assassin gasped, obviously not expecting it. She dropped to the ground and slide across the grass, zipping through the gap of Bulat's legs and swiftly going around him. Before the dragon could turn his head to face Akame again, she was already standing on top of his back.

She pointed the Murasame on his neck.

The tip of the blade stabbed down, aiming directly at the back of the dragon's neck.

" _Aeugh….arghhhh!"_

Seemingly by complete instinct, Bulat leaned back and crushed Akame right into the soil below, lying on top of her and pressing all of his weight down. The Murasame slipped out of her grip as she got sat on by the savage animal.

Despite not looking like it, however, Akame had plenty of physical strength herself.

She slid her arms onto the beast's scaly chest, then pushed him off with one forceful shove. The dragon growled and tried to get back onto her, determined to grind down her bones into nothing, but Akame was already back on her feet.

She glanced at the grass. The Murasame was lying behind Bulat. She had to go through him to get it back.

She dashed forward and watched as the dragon charged at the same time. He held his arms out to catch her, but yelped as Akame leapt up and swung her left foot as hard as she possibly could. Her foot immediately connected with the right side of Bulat's massive jaw, causing the dragon to go flying in the opposite direction, breaking down several pillars before he came to a stop.

Tatsumi couldn't believe it. He never expected one girl to have so much strength hidden inside her, she looked so ordinary until she was put into the midst of combat. It was only when she was serious, at moments like these, that she showed how powerful she truly was.

Bulat hissed as he raised his large head up and climbed out of a wall he had been shot through. Parts of his flesh had been ripped off from the impact, and Tatsumi gagged as he saw chunky, pink muscle tissue underneath.

But Tatsumi felt even more disgusted as the dragon's flesh grew back, and slid over his injuries, covering them up in just a matter of moments. It must've been incredibly painful for Bulat, but he was so fueled with murderous intent that it was clear he didn't feel anything else.

Akame walked over to her blade and picked it up, brushing off the dust that had settled on it.

Tatsumi slowly turned his head to Gremlin, his voice caught in his throat.

He couldn't think of anything to say, so the words came out without his consent. "This is insane..."

Gremlin turned his thick head and gazed back at the boy.

The man's devil mask muffled the sound of Gremlin's grunt. That was all the guy had to say about what was unfolding.

"Just stand still..." Akame asked of the beast, her voice quiet and weak. "Don't make this any harder."

Bulat screeched as he grabbed a nearby pillar, made of pure stone and cement, and lifted it up over his head. It was several times bigger than him, but he held it up with extreme ease.

Akame's eyes widened as Bulat placed the pillar into his right palm, then threw it straight towards her. She immediately began running as she saw the giant stone structure shooting down from above to crumble down right on top of her. She dashed in the opposite direction, carefully analysing where the pillar was going to drop, then executed a perfect roll and allowed the stone to shot right over her head and crash into the ground next to her.

Tatsumi realized he was so stunned he hadn't breathed for a few seconds. He panted heavily, his eyes still locked onto Akame.

She had calculated precisely where the pillar was about to land, and dodged with such incredibly perfect timing. It honestly seemed like she could do anything from his perspective. An assassin that could never be struck down.

The perfect killer.

Bulat charged for the second time, but was faster than before. He darted over to Akame in an instant, and quickly began throwing wild punches.

Akame dodged the first two hooks, but had to lift her arms up and block his direct jabs. Tatsumi could feel small faint tremors every time his fists made contact with Akame's arms, and just that alone let him know just how immensely powerful this beast truly was.

Bulat suddenly dropped down and grabbed Akame's left leg, swinging her off of the ground and into a nearby wall. She collided into the solid stone, but didn't seem in the slightest bit fazed, and squeezed her way out of his grip in a mere second. Holding onto him by one of the scales on his chest, Akame locked him in place and gave Bulat a punch of her own.

The punch materialized a tiny shockwave in her palm, and caused Bulat to finally fall down. His back met the earth and the dragon growled in pain, with no signs of getting back up soon after being hit like that.

Tatsumi had seen it for himself. All it took was one straight hit from Akame to take such a creature down.

He should've felt relieved.

But something painful clenched his heart. He felt the strangest kind of pain while watching the two fight.

Bulat swung his arms aimlessly, but had been seriously hurt. It crawled up to its knees, but by that point Akame was already standing on top of him.

The blade fired down, going straight for Bulat's chest.

Akame closed her eyes as she stabbed the Murasame, and allowed her Imperial Arm to finally end the nightmare that Bulat must've been going through. Its poison would silence him.

The tip of the blade come forward until it was just an inch away from Bulat's flesh.

But the assassin was suddenly flung off of the dragon.

Akame gasped two arms arms grabbed her, and tackled her to the floor. There wasn't much force behind the tackle, but it had completely caught her off-guard. She fell down and rolled onto the rough dirt, feeling the soil mix into her long hair.

She looked up.

She saw Tatsumi.

Thick streams of tears were gushing down his cheeks, and there was nothing but the hint of despair in the boys eyes as he held her down.

"I..." he cried, shaking his head.

Akame was in shock.

" _I can't let you!"_

* * *

It hurt.

Everything hurt.

No matter where it was, regardless what body part he focused on, there was pain everywhere. There was nothing but an agonizing stream of pain flowing through him at all times, and it was causing him to lose whatever sanity he had left.

He watched through his mutated eyes as Akame and Tatsumi stood in front of him. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and hug them, tell them how sorry he was for what he was doing. Seeing himself act like such a savage was heart-breaking, and for the first time he felt utterly powerless.

Ever since he unleashed all of his strength against Esdeath, he had lost all control over his own body. It moved independently from him, attacking his loved ones without any trace of worry for their safety. At every moment, he was fighting back and praying that he could take back control, but there simply wasn't a way to take back what had been stolen from him. His body belonged to something, or someone, else.

Bulat was only a consciousness now, floating in an endless spiral of...nothing.

And he knew he only had himself to blame.

His master and previous user of Incursio's key, Gensei, had warned him many times about the dragon that rested inside the Imperial Arm. No matter what, he was supposed to be weary of the spirit that loomed within, and made sure to never let it take over.

But he had no choice. It was his only hope of even standing a chance against Esdeath. If he hadn't let Incursio's evolution kick in, he never would've managed to distract her long enough for his friends to escape. He had been fully willing to make such a sacrifice, not questioning what would happen to him in the process.

Right, this was what he asked for.

He knew this was coming.

With sorrow, he stared at Tatsumi and Akame as they both got up, glaring at each other. Tatsumi was holding her by the shoulders, stopping her from advancing any closer to Bulat.

He frowned, but wondered if his outer body of a dragon was doing the same.

Why was Tatsumi stopping her?

He was nothing but a threat now, an unstoppable force that wouldn't allow them to leave without a fight. If they didn't kill him quickly, he would crush them without a second thought, and then move on to any citizens he could find afterwards. He was a beast now. A beast that had to be put down.

Yet as Akame tried to brush Tatsumi off her, he refused to let go.

"Tatsumi." Bulat heard Akame faintly speak. "Let go. I don't have time for distractions."

The boy gasped, and wiped away a tear on his cheeks.

Bulat could see the boy's hands shaking.

"He's...our friend...you...can't..." he sobbed, but his voice was caught in his throat.

Bulat clenched his teeth.

He could see all the pain on Tatsumi's face. This was all probably all so horrifying for him, and Bulat wanted nothing more but to be able to rub him on the head and tell him everything was alright. A kid so young didn't deserve to suffer through something like this.

His little brother didn't deserve to see Bulat like this.

More before Bulat realized it, his right arm was starting to move on its own. It slammed the ground and attempted to smash both the assassins while they were distracted, and rubble shot straight up through the air.

Akame grabbed Tatsumi and rolled out of the way, her focus still as strong as ever. Bulat was joyous to see that he missed, but still worried for their safety. As every moment passed, he could feel his muscles continuing to expand more and more, and the fibres of his body burning up with an endless amount of energy. His gradual fusion with the beast inside Incursio's key, Tyrant, was forcing a continuous stream of power into Bulat for its own desires, and nothing could stop it now.

"You're only making this harder." Akame scolded her comrade, finally out of his grip.

Tatsumi stood back up with her. "You're...going to kill him..."

"Yes, I am."

She ran, blazing forward faster than Bulat could see.

Yet he still blocked her kick as she swung her foot forward.

Bulat wasn't the one reacting to Akame's attacks, Tyrant was. It wasn't able to keep up with her incredible speed at first, but its eyes were finally adapted to see her properly no matter how fast she moved. It was evolving through Bulat's body as the two of them clashed throughout the battle.

Akame slipped under Bulat's arms and tried to stab him in the gut.

She was rushing it, trying to quickly get a cut on him and be done with this. She was relying on Murasame's poison of finishing this before Bulat's strength and speed could rise any further.

But the scales on Bulat's body suddenly hardened up and turned black, and Murasame simply bounced off of his skin instead of piercing through. His skin had become like a thick, sturdy armour, but it looked anything but ordinary. It was thin and acted like a second layer of skin for Bulat, protecting him from the Murasame but not slowing him down, either.

Bulat was awestruck.

He knew Tyrant had the ability to adapt to its opponent, but Incursio's armour never evolved as quickly as this. With normal use, the Imperial Arm could only adapt to a problem after given a long, drawn-out battle, but Tyrant was currently adapting Bulat's physical body so incredibly fast that it had already figured out the perfect counter measure to Akame's weapon.

And it wasn't stopping either. Every single passing second, Bulat's body was continuing to evolve to become more and more effective in the fight, all by the will of Tyrant's essence.

Bulat wanted to stop it. He wanted to force his dangerous evolution to stop, but it wasn't his decision to make.

Akame took a few steps back, surprised by how resilient Bulat's skin had suddenly gotten. If her blade couldn't pierce through, her poison couldn't apply to Bulat and bring him down. She couldn't even inflict any damage to him while he was in such a protected state.

Bulat saw her close her eyes and nod her head. "Stronger scales. If I strike one area over and over..."

Bulat felt a wave of happiness wash over him.

Akame had already calculated her next move to counter Bulat's new skin, despite its strange properties. Even in a battle as provocative as this, her sharp and instinctive mind never stopped ticking.

Her blade and his claws smashed together, and they immediately engaged into a fierce trade of blows.

Bulat was still roaring furiously, like the beast he had become. He was doing everything he could to hold back against his friend, but knew that this was going to be a struggle for her.

Akame gasped as she slashed twice at Bulat's abdomen, slicing off the metallic scales one by one, shredding them down with each blow. Her hands moved like lightning, no longer showing any signs of hesitation. Like a true professional, her instincts had kicked in and made her void of any doubts. She had cleansed her mind and was keeping it blank to guarantee her efficiency.

Her eyes were only half-open. Her expression was ice.

Bulat had seen this side of Akame countless times in the past as her ally, but seeing it directed at him was a completely different experience entirely. Whenever you saw Akame looking at you like that, you knew that she was going to kill you no matter how much you resist. It was startling.

The dragon remained in one spot, swinging again and again, as the red-eyed assassin continued to circle him. She couldn't rely on her speed alone to overwhelm Bulat anymore, so she was utilizing her ability to confuse and trick the beast, since the beast wasn't very bright without Bulat controlling it.

As Akame stopped and raised her foot, the dragon lifted his arms and braced itself for another kick to his head.

Instead, Akame dropped her foot and gave another massive slash of her blade to the dragon's unguarded chest. More of his protective scales came flying off, and had almost been fully removed from Akame's advances.

Bulat watched as he was being pushed back.

He was once again impressed by her skills. Even though he had witnessed her battle prowess so many times before, he was still awestruck.

As his shielding scales gone, Bulat fell back and felt the recoil of her attacks. Despite having constant evolution coursing through his veins to counter her, he wasn't able to keep up like this. His arms drooped down, he dropped down to his knees, and his tail shook the earth as it came flopping downwards. The dragon's energy had been almost entirely diminished.

Bulat could feel Tyrant growling angrily, trying to get back up. The dragon inside of him didn't want to lose, no matter what happened. It had finally tasted freedom after so many years, and didn't want it taken away from it once again.

But it couldn't evolve fast enough. It needed time.

Akame raised her blade once more, swinging it down to end Bulat's suffering.

Bulat closed his eyes, welcoming his end.

Tatsumi roared out in rage as he shoved Akame to the left, then locked both of her arms behind her back. He held her in the lock with all of his strength, his muscles squeezing down on her and keeping her in place.

Akame didn't turn around, her black hair swaying calmly in the wind. "Let me finish this, Tatsumi."

"How..." he muttered, a sharp bite in his tone. "How can you just kill him? Are you really going to murder our best friend…?"

A small pause of silence, then an answer. "Yes."

"He's our friend."

"He's our enemy."

Tatsumi started crying again. He had tried to keep it in for a while now, trying to look strong during such a crisis, but talking to Akame now was causing all the emotion inside him to come flooding out. He couldn't control his emotions when faced with something like this.

His tears mixed with the dirt on his face. "Can you really do something like that?"

"I can."

"Would you even hesitate…?!"

The dragon moaned in pain, and tried to get back to its feet. It got halfway up, wobbled on its injured legs, then fell back down.

"I wouldn't. He's a monster now. He has to die." the young girl lowered her head and responded.

Some kind of burning anger sizzled inside of Tatsumi.

He could feel his entire body burn up in rage, his arms and legs shaking. His breathing getting heavy as it consumed him.

"You feel nothing."

The wind blew.

Akame said nothing. Her head was still faced the other way.

"You feel _nothing_."

He repeated what he said again, getting even more furious with each word. He felt his grip on her arms tightened as his anger took over him. He began screaming at the top of his lungs.

" _You feel absolutely nothing, you fucking monster!"_

Something snapped.

Tatsumi's eyes widened as Akame suddenly pulled her arms out of his lock like it was nothing. She turned, kicked his feet, and threw him straight onto the ground.

He gasped as his back smacked against the cold, rough rocks beneath him. His body hit the ground first, then the back of his skull collided as well, sending all different jolts of pain to him at once.

Akame sat on top of him, and Tatsumi groaned as he tried to look at her.

But his vision blurred as a fist met his face. A punch rocketed right into his jaw and spun his head to the left. Tatsumi felt even more pain from the hit, and bleed out of his mouth as he bit his own tongue.

He recoiled, not expecting it at all. A terrible sting gathered up in his mouth, and he could already feel a bruise on his right cheek. It wasn't a very powerful punch, but Tatsumi titled his head to the left and spat out some blood. Small dribbles of rain started to come down as clouds made a blanket over the night sky, and the water made his bleeding tongue sting even more.

Blinking away the droplets of rain in his eyes, he looked up at the girl sitting on him.

And his heart clenched.

A girl was above him, tightly gripping his shirt. Her hair was moist and untidy. Her shoulders were trembling and a small stream of a mixture of blood and rain slowly poured down her wounded arms.

And she was crying.

Her eyes were closed, her breathing was heavy, and small gasps escaped her mouth. Akame was crying.

"It hurts..." she whispered, but Tatsumi didn't hear it properly.

He stared at her. Unable to look away.

"Of course...it hurts..." she spoke slightly louder, then proper tears began to pour out her eyes. "I don't want to kill him!"

Tatsumi's mouth was open.

He wanted to say something.

But no words came out.

He had taken out all of his frustration and sorrow of what had happened to Bulat on her, making her out as the villain in all of this in order to cope.

And now he had broken her down emotionally. He never even considered the possibility that she felt the same sadness as he did.

In an instant, a massive wave of guilt washed over Tatsumi, and he felt more ashamed of himself than he had ever been in his life.

Bulat watched as well, and seeing his two friends like this pained him severely. They were suffering so terribly because of what he had chosen to do to himself. Seeing him like this had drained them both physically and mentally, and Bulat felt his own sense of guilt from that fact.

Bulat felt a fire burn up inside his heart. A powerful flame that had grown from his pain.

He had to support his friends. He had to fight for them one last time.

Bulat could feel the last embers of himself slowly die out, being consumed by the darkness that was Tyrant's own consciousness. There wasn't any time for him left, there were only a few brief moments left before he would fade away completely. He needed to act now.

Using the dying embers of his consciousness, he forced his dragonic body to move without the consent of Tyrant's possessive control.

It was so excruciating, but his burning spirit was spurring him on for just a moment longer.

 _Fight._

Bulat's own voice echoed in his head. It was the loudest sound he had ever heard.

 _Fight._

Bulat moved his fingers.

 _Fight._

Bulat moved his hands, feeling a small bit of control over himself returning.

 _Fight._

Bulat moved his legs, ignoring Tyrant's incredible influence.

 _FIGHT!_

Bulat roared furiously as he regained full control, and was able to finally feel himself in his own body again. He could feel his own cut skin, his own blood pumping through his veins, and the sensation of being alive.

But only long enough for him to complete one action. He could feel Tyrant almost immediately ripping his control away from him for the last time, and he knew there was only one thing he could do with the last of his efforts.

He walked over to Akame and Tatsumi, the two assassins staring bewildered as their enemy stepped towards them.

Bulat sat down next to them, placed his gargantuan head onto the ground, and forced his vocal cords to speak one more time.

The last words he'd ever be able to say.

"Kill...me..."

* * *

Tatsumi blinked.

It was like every sound in the entire world had been cut off. For the first time in his life, there was nothing but silence around him. Calming and simple silence.

He had seen his best friend, and greatest idol, fall to his own Imperial Arm. Ever since it had happened, he had done everything he possibly could to escape from the truth...or place all the blame on someone else.

But watching Bulat kneel down before him, and speak in his own voice with one final push…

Tatsumi was calm. It was almost scary how calm he had suddenly become.

The rain turned him a drizzle into heavy rain, pouring down on all of them and soaking the battlefield, turning all the dust and dirt on the ground into thick mud.

His throat felt dry.

"Akame..."

Through the heavy rain, he wondered if his whisper could even be heard.

But the girl behind him immediately listened, and stood next to him. She was no longer crying, and had kicked into that terrifyingly calm state that Tatsumi had reached as well.

They threw their own selfish thoughts and doubts away. They had realize that this was Bulat's one last chance of dying as himself.

As Bulat, not some savage animal.

Akame held the hilt of the Murasame, with the blade pointed towards. She strode slowly over to Bulat, and reached his head. She looked down at the white flesh covering his forehead, then pointed the edge of Murasame directly over it.

Tatsumi approached her from behind, and wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands onto hers as she held the Murasame.

She was the only one that could come into contact with the blade's handle, but with this, the two of them were holding the Murasame at the same time.

With his hands over Akame's, he could feel hers shaking and trembling. He squeezed down his palms in reassurance, and the two gradually raised the blade together.

Tatsumi looked down.

The dragon remained kneeling, but wouldn't stay like that for much longer. Bulat's eyes were closed, his head was to the earth, and he was awaiting his friends to save him from his torment. He wanted his release.

"...it's time." Tatsumi said, his entire body feeling completely empty.

A brief second passed.

Then Akame nodded her head.

"Goodbye."

The shrouding shower of rain covered the faces of the two young assassins, hiding them from the rest of the world for just a moment.

And the Murasame pierced clean through Bulat's forehead.


	29. Author's Note 3

**A/N**

Hi everyone, it's Zacaro again.

I know I haven't been heard in a while, and I want to explain myself. I haven't updated any of my stories for a long while, seemingly vanishing. The truth is I've been super exhausted as of late, constantly stressing about my studies and things going on at home.

My new, high-end PC also crashed and died a few weeks ago, causing me to lose all my saved chapters and chapters-in-progress, which was quite depressing. Turns out I was sold a faulty PC from the start, and now I'm spending most of my time trying to get HP to replace it entirely, fingers crossed on _that_.

I'm also preparing to move to a different country to live on my own for the first time, which is a stressful and time-consuming issue of its own.

I know that all of these are just excuses, but I wanted to let you know what exactly has been going on for me, and how my situation is currently playing out.

Now that I've gathered my bearings a bit, I'm going to start writing again for you, working all the way from scratch. However, because of my situation, I can't give an estimated time for when any of the future chapters are coming out, and they can take a very long time. I understand if this upsets you, and all I can possibly do is apologize.

I _do_ promise, however, that I will finish my ongoing stories of The Mind of a Yandere, The Demonic Duo, and Akame Ga Kill: The Twin Swords. These stories will be completed fully, but each chapter will take significantly longer to write until my schedule is a little less pressing on me.

During this period of time, all I can do is show my appreciation. To you, my reader, I thank you from the button of my heart. Your patience means everything to me.

That's all for now, until next time!


	30. No 26: Kill The Connections

**Thank you for waiting for so long, but the wait is finally over!**

 **My schedule hasn't been fully fixed just yet, but I managed to squeeze in the time to write the next chapter. Again, I really appreciate your patience as I try to make deadlines.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The rain showered over the Colosseum, and worked in vain to wash away the overwhelming scent of death.

Tatsumi stood there, his eyes held firmly shut. It took him a moment to realize he hadn't moved in the longest period of time.

He carefully pulled his hands off of Akame, who was still tightly gripping the handle of Murasame, unwilling to let it go. The weight of her sorrow was utterly staggering. It could've been felt from the other side of the planet.

His own hands were shaking too, and not because of the cold rain pouring onto him. It felt as though every single fibre in his body was failing to function as he simply shivered on the spot. And no amount of heavy breathing was ailing his suffering condition.

He was afraid to open his eyes, all of his base instincts refusing to permit it. It terrified him what said was waiting to be seen, and despite accepting what he had done, it proved too much to face it head-on. He couldn't find the mental strength inside himself to pull it off.

But he heard the soft weeping of Akame, just barely audible over the rain. He couldn't let her take this on alone.

His eyelids slid open, allowing him to fully enter the world once again. There was an instant increase in his heart rate out of justified fear.

He looked forward to face Bulat. What he laid his eyes upon wasn't that.

Embers of sorrow washed through Tatsumi one last time – his heart too exhausted to take anymore – as he gazed at the massive hunk of muscle and flesh lying at his feet. The jaw of the beast hung open, lifeless and without any words to speak. The sword had found its place nestling directly through the forehead of the dragon, turning an immeasurably destructive creature into nothing but a cold corpse in a mere instant.

Black scripture poured out of the stab wound. It grew in length and split out into different directions, seeping into the flesh like a penetrating tattoo, marking its victim in a distinct appearance. The beast was already dead from the stab wound, but Tatsumi had to watch silently as the Murasame's poison did its work regardless.

"Akame?" he tried to call out to her, unsure if he was being heard as the intensity of rain increased.

She showed no reaction.

They were standing right next to each other, and yet she felt so far away.

The assassin silently pulled her weapon out of its fleshy housing, and held it loosely by her side. The wound it had left behind opened up further and small dribbles of green substance - likely the dragon's blood – oozed out to slide down the skull.

That was the end of it. Their ordeal was over.

Bulat had died before Tatsumi even got to speak with him. After everything that had happened, he was devastated that he lost his only mentor. There were so many things that he wanted to tell his friend, and now he realized that he would never be able to. There was no talking to the dead.

"Fall into the night."

Tatsumi thought he heard Akame speak.

He turned his head and saw her kneeling next to Bulat, slowly closing his overgrown eyelids.

That was the first time he'd heard such words. He didn't know where it came from or what it meant.

Akame stood back up, but Tatsumi noticed that she was holding something in her other hand. She kept it held tightly in her grasp, hanging onto it desperately.

Tatsumi stared at it – a silver sword – and recognized its appearance. The handle had grown longer, its edge had become slightly crooked and jagged, and its colour a shade darker, but Tatsumi knew that it was the same weapon he had some many times before.

"…Incursio's key…?"

Akame nodded. "Yes."

"It doesn't look the same…"

"It's tainted now."

Her explanation was insufficient, but there was an air of urgency to her voice. Whatever details there were to share, they could discuss it later. They were still in mourning.

Large footsteps came from behind, and Tatsumi saw Gremlin slowly walk towards him. His mask had become moist from all the rain. He mumbled something, perhaps trying to give his condolences, but they came out muffled and incomprehensible.

"It's okay, big guy." Tatsumi whispered to his friend. "I know."

Akame finally turned her back to Bulat, and moved closer to Tatsumi. Her head was lowered, her eyes locked to the ground, and he couldn't see her face properly.

Tatsumi wanted to console her, but there were no words he could find to convey. He didn't know how much he must've meant to her. They had known each other for significantly longer, he couldn't possibly fathom how close the two of them had been compared to himself. All the pain Tatsumi was feeling…he knew that she was probably feeling twice the amount.

All he could think to do was put a hand on her shoulder. Even if he couldn't say anything, he wanted to be there for her.

He raised his hand up and moved it towards his friend, his palm reaching for her left shoulder.

Then the earth trembled.

"Wha-?" Tatsumi gasped as the ground beneath him shook violently, almost throwing him on his back.

The slushy mud rippled along the earth, quivering along with everything else. It felt like the entire world was shaking under the incredible pressure of something powerful, something…otherworldly.

Then a laugh echoed.

Tatsumi recognized it.

There was never a sight more terrifying as he looked to his left and saw the crater which rested in the east walls. It was the size of a building, and had been the point of impact where Esdeath had been punched into, with the dragon's last and most heavy punch. Rocks and concrete crashed down as the crater gradually started to open up, unleashing the terror that had been locked inside.

"Ahh," a giggling voice hissed as a full-length arm escaped the crater. "That feels…better."

Akame and Gremlin were also looking in the same direction as Tatsumi now, reeling back in terror just as much as he was.

All of Bulat's efforts were being washed away. He had done everything he could, gave everything he had in him, to kill just one person. Now his friends had to watch as it all crumbled down to nothing.

A woman stepped out of the crater. She silently dusted small chunks of rubble coating her, then reached for the ground to pick up her hat. There was nothing but the torturous, looming atmosphere of complete silence, a soul-shuddering glimpse into total despair for the woman's enemies to take the sour taste of.

The woman's blue eyes opened, with a spark of light in them.

"That attack was _really_ something." Esdeath said, finally breaking the silence. "I actually felt that!"

"Oh…no…" Tatsumi whispered.

The General grabbed her fallen rapier and leapt down from the crater, crashing into the ground below. Her heels dug into the mud, but she retained perfect balance upon landing.

There wasn't a single scratch on her. Aside her hat being slightly torn, she was in the same state as she was before she ever fought Bulat. There wasn't an injury, not even a bruise to be found. She had taken a power-enhanced Bulat going all-out against her, and didn't become in the slightest bit fazed.

"Now, where is he…?" she asked.

Then her gaze changed in direction, looking straight at the dead dragon lying at the assassins' feet.

"Oh."

Her expression was unreadable until she let out a heavy sigh. The sigh was followed by a look of sheer disappointment.

She took several steps forward. "He's dead? I wasn't done dancing yet…"

Tatsumi felt his chest tighten.

Bulat had spent the last of his strength to buy them time to escape, and he had completely wasted it. If he hadn't quarrelled with Akame so much and let her bring Bulat peace sooner, they would've had a chance to flee the Capital. As it stood now, with the General back on her feet, none of them were leaving.

They were never getting back home.

The sickening feeling of having that realization hit him was overwhelming – crushing any sort of hope left in his sorrowful heart – as he knew this was all his fault. This only started when Tatsumi had allowed himself to be captured. If he had just been stronger, his closest friend wouldn't have to die for him. Bulat's death was on his hands. He was convinced of that.

"Tatsumi. Run."

The boy paused, and then looked at Akame.

With her hands still shaking, her blade was held out once again. Tatsumi could see her legs barely succeed in holding her up straight.

"I will…hold her off." she whispered, long strands of black hair in front of her eyes.

He shook his head, that was completely ridiculous. She couldn't even fight anymore, let alone take on the Empire's strongest. It wasn't a matter of her own physical abilities but a matter on her state of mind. Akame wasn't herself right now, she was bleeding on the inside after her excruciating loss. There was no chance of her winning _any_ fight while she was like this.

"Akame, no!"

It was too late.

The wind kicked up violently as the General gliding through the air gracefully, the blinding and obscuring light of her rapier gleaming as it was thrust forward. No mortal eye could possibly keep up with her advance, let alone ever manage to avoid their impending taste of it.

"Now, let's play!" Esdeath cried out happily as she was directly in front of the assassins in a second.

Something erupted and imploded within the Colosseum grounds, something so powerful that it even caused Esdeath to pause and turn around in shock.

" _GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"_

A deafening scream echoed as something burst out of the Palace windows and came crashing down to the earth. The object shot down and collided directly into Esdeath, sending the two of them into the nearby wall. There was an immediate explosion and rain of rubble and dust, and the entire structure that Esdeath had been launched into crumbled down until it was reduced to nothing.

Tatsumi stared in utter awe. He didn't even see what had rocketed into the Colosseum so suddenly. His eyes failed to capture even a glimpse. He didn't even register the object coming towards them until it crashed into Esdeath.

His base instinct was to stay and see what had happened, but something suddenly grabbed him by the arm. A large hand held on tightly to his right arm and yanked him in the opposite direction. It was Gremlin.

Akame was leading the masked man, already running. She picked up the pace and so did Gremlin, dragging Tatsumi along as the boy's attention was still on the General.

"What the hell is…?"

"No time!" Akame roared as she directed them to the broken down slab of an exit to the west side of the Colosseum. "Run!"

He was baffled by how they were managing to get away in such a dire situation, he was certain that it was all over for them. He wanted to know what had stopped Esdeath from tearing them apart one-by-one.

But Akame's words lingered in the back of his mind, and his legs started to carry him. He started running alongside his comrades, moving as fast as his feet could possibly achieve.

There was one final image that was burned into his mind as he took a glance at the devastation behind him.

A dragon lying dead in the dirt.

* * *

The dust settled after what felt like an eternity.

The ground glistened, cleansed by the ever-pouring rain. The rain had calmed itself, however, and only a light drizzle remained of its former self. It felt as though the entire battleground had finally found a state of tranquillity.

Small chunks of cement cracked apart and slid onto the ground, burying themselves into their new housing. They failed to make any kind of audible sound.

A man groaned, feeling an immense amount of pain in his foot. His armour should have reduced most of the kickback he felt, but he still felt every last ounce of force. He looked down at his foot and small crack at the sabaton of his armour, startled by the fact that he had come crashing down so hard that he actually managed to shatter something so sturdy.

Another groan followed, but it wasn't the man's.

A woman crawled out of the crevasse in the wall, this being the second time she was doing such a thing in one day. Her hat was damp from the rain, yet she refused to take it off her head.

Esdeath stretched her arms and legs out. She wasn't injured, but it was clear to see that she had been a little worn-out.

Her blue eyes glared directly at the man standing next to her. The man that had come flying down from the sky and had kicked her straight in the jaw.

"Wave." she hissed.

The armoured man took a few steps back, allowing Esdeath to properly get on her feet. He didn't say anything until he saw her stand up.

His armour subsided and turned back to a sword, which he sheathed immediately to his side. The man's bright face had a calm smile on it, despite the hateful stare he was being greeted with.

"General Esdeath," he gave a polite nod. "I'm sorry, are you alright?"

Esdeath sighed, and scrubbed off some stray dirt on her heels. "I hope you have a good explanation for _this._ "

"Yes, I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't aiming for you when I came over here."

"Nevermind the fact that you kicked me." Esdeath's stare was ice. "You're not supposed to be here. I was handling this myself."

Wave gave another quick nod. "Yes, I know, but I heard explosions from all the way inside the Palace. I only wanted to rush over to my General's side."

"So, why did you kick _me_?"

"I'm sorry, my trajectory was off. I was aiming to take them all down in one blow, but then you suddenly approached them in the blink of an eye. I couldn't stop my fall in time."

Wave's heart was racing. His words came out confidently, but nothing but pure anxiety was currently coursing through his veins.

His plan was to stop any more senseless killing. He thought if he could reach the Colosseum before Esdeath killed the assassins, he could just swoop in and knock them out instead, forcing the planned execution to come to an abrupt end. It wasn't a permanent solution, but it was all he could come up with on the spot.

But Esdeath moved way too fast, and got right into his way. All of the power in his kick got directed at her instead.

But for some reason…Wave didn't feel bad that he hit the wrong target.

He couldn't track down the reason for it, no matter how much he silently thought about it all.

Perhaps he wanted to unleash some of his pent up aggression on someone, and Esdeath was the perfect candidate for that. She could take even his most serious attacks without any trouble.

But there was something else too…

"Now they're going to escape…" Esdeath sighed with slight annoyance.

"I can pursue them if you want."

Esdeath shook her head. "Don't bother. They're probably on the other side of the country by now."

"I'm really sorry, General."

"I don't need your apologies." Esdeath quickly snapped back, though still relatively calm. "It's obvious that you still have a lot to learn, and your work on the battlefield is sloppy. I'm pulling you out."

"Huh? You mean?"

"I'm putting you on Palace duty indefinitely; or at least until I'm sure that you can actually be helpful to us."

Wave froze.

Somehow, that seemed an even worse punishment than death.

He would have to spend every single minute of every single day in the Palace, going around and maintaining the upkeep. Sweeping up floors, dusting the furniture, and whatever other mundane task could come to mind. A simple servant.

"But-!"

"No buts. You have to-" Esdeath started to scold.

But then she went silent, surveying her surroundings.

Her eyes scanned the entire Colosseum, a perplexed expression slowly crawling onto her face. It seemed like she was searching for something, but couldn't find it anywhere. Wave watched as the General became slightly distraught, and almost a little angered.

"Where is Gremlin?"

Wave frowned. "Uh, who's that?"

"He's an executioner," she growled out in irritation, but not towards Wave. "He was my little Gremlin."

"And?"

"And he's gone."

The General looked more raged than upset, as though a precious piece of her private property had been taken away from her. She stared off into the distance and fell silent for a moment, watching as the faint and weak light of the sun rose from over the horizon.

Footsteps trudged through the Colosseum. Wave turned his head to meet them.

He saw Kurome, rushing over to him and Esdeath. Her expression was still deadpan, but there was the subtle sign of something else on there as well, something a little more emotional.

"Wave…" she muttered as she finally came to a stop, looking over to Esdeath. "I told you not to come here. You disturbed a General."

Wave felt his face get a little heated.

He didn't expect her to take his side in all of this, but it still bothered him when the words came out of her mouth. For some reason, he particularly didn't enjoy her taking someone else's side over his.

He didn't have an answer for her, and she didn't wait for one. She took a step closer to Esdeath.

"Where's the boy? He still has to be executed."

Esdeath didn't turn around, her back still facing Kurome. "He escaped."

"One kid escaped _you_?"

"No, Night Raid came to his aid. I planned something like this to happen from the beginning…" she sighed in exasperation. "I wasn't thorough enough. I played with them too much…and it backfired."

Kurome glanced down at the ground. "Oh."

Wave fell silent with her, and stared at Esdeath's back.

She was gazing at the rising sun, looking up as though she was missing something important. Her mood had been abruptly ruined, and her calculating smile had been lost to a wave of despair. Wave could tell that she longed for something precious of hers that had been taken away.

He assumed it was her servant, her 'little Gremlin'.

But he didn't know who she actually cared about, and wanted to hold by her side.

He couldn't have been further away from the truth.

* * *

Tatsumi eyelids stung when he opened them.

The world began to spin at once. The disorientation of not knowing where he was immediately sunk in and threw him off balance. He frowned as he was looking up to the sky, constantly shifting up and down.

He gathered his bearings and looked at what was holding him. Two muscular arms were carrying him like paper weight, as though he was as light as a feather. Whoever was holding him was doing so very carefully, making it hard to tell he was even being carried around in the first place. Countless questions rushed into Tatsumi's head at once, and how he suddenly fell asleep took priority over all the others.

His head bobbed up and the man carrying him noticed. He came to a stop and placed Tatsumi on his feet, and the boy was greeted by the stare of a black, devilish mask.

"Gremlin…?" he asked, his voice coming out harder than he expected.

The man grunted, unable to say anything. He should've been tired after all that he had done, but the tongue-less man was just as rowdy as ever.

Tatsumi took in his surroundings as he continued to fumble around on his feet.

A lush, thick forest covered the land like a blanket, and Tatsumi couldn't see anything but trees for as far as his vision could span. The only other thing that was visible was the sky above, nothing less. Tatsumi recognized the place almost instantly, feeling the strongest sense of déjà vu from the path they were currently on.

He turned his head to the left and saw Akame. She wasn't facing him, and was still walking. He started moving as well, with Gremlin following silently behind him.

"I…fell asleep?" he tried to talk to his friend, hoping that she would say something back.

Akame shook her head, looking straight forward. "You fainted after we left the Colosseum. I guess you were all out of energy."

Tatsumi couldn't deny that. He had been drained from everything that had happened hours ago.

Not physically, but psychologically. Far too many things had happened.

His mind hurt like nothing he had felt before. There were all these damaging thoughts swirling around in his head, spiralling out of control and eventually dropping into the abyss of his subconscious, trying to call its way back to the front of his mind. It was only thanks to his utter exhaustion that those thoughts couldn't affect him right now. He knew that it would all come and torture him later - whenever he was more rested - but there was nothing he could do about that. This numbness would only last for so long.

"This man carried you all the way here, not saying a word." Akame noted, hopping over a rock. "Is he a friend?"

Tatsumi looked over at the massive, muscular man walking beside him.

"A new one, yeah."

He had to admit, he didn't expect Gremlin to come along with them. For some reason, Tatsumi thought that the man would stay behind.

But when he thought about it, it made sense that Gremlin didn't really have a choice. He had attacked and distracted Esdeath during her battle with Bulat, deciding to help in bringing down his master – or former master now.

He didn't have any place to go now, his only option was to leave the Capital as well. Tatsumi wasn't sure if Gremlin originally wanted to flee the Capital, or if that was ever his plan, but that was what the man was doing now. The boy appreciated the fact that Gremlin had decided to stay alongside them instead of just bailing out and running away in some opposite direction once they fled the Capital.

"Stop daydreaming." Akame suddenly commanded, using a tone that Tatsumi didn't quite expect. "We're almost there."

"Huh? Where?"

"Home."

And that's when Tatsumi's step came to a slow halt, his legs feeling a lot heavier than they did just moments ago. Just the thought of returning back to the Night Raid base made him shudder, made him close his eyes and feel a burning sensation of pain flare up in his heart.

"Right…we have to tell them…" he whispered.

The next words that came out of the boy's mouth was torturously agonizing to speak, but he had to get them out. He had to, or else he would never come to terms with it.

His heart ached.

"We have to tell them that Bulat is dead."


	31. No 27: Kill The Dread

**Hello again!**

 **Thank you for your patience as I worked hard to clear up my schedule and get this chapter out, I really appreciate it.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The silence inside the base was deafening.

Tatsumi was sat in a chair in the centre of the main hall, remaining silent as Mine knelt next to him and strapped bandages over his battered arms and legs.

Akame was sat opposite of him, having the same treatment as him by Leone's hand. Her head was lowered down, her red eyes glaring intensely at the floor, and her arms were firmly folded.

All of Night Raid held an unbearable period of quiet. Tatsumi had broken the news of their loss over ten minutes ago, but it looked like no one had anything to say. He expected that he would've been barraged with questions the moment he stepped through the door, not this stifling silence that only made his chest sting more noticeably.

Losing Bulat was, without a sliver of a doubt, the most hefty and heavy loss they had suffered so far. Tatsumi could tell by the ice-cold expressions that everyone held how much this had impacted them. He wondered if they believed him, or if they were full of distraught and disbelief. He was sure that if someone had come up to him and told him that Bulat was dead, he would never be able to believe them. Bulat was the kind of man you never thought was even possible to be killed. Living in a world where he was gone was rather…surreal.

Tatsumi raised his head up and looked at everyone in the hall, waiting anxiously for someone to finally break the silence and say something.

He noticed Lubbock's presence in the hall. It wasn't very long ago that the guy couldn't even get out of bed properly, but was now up on his feet again. The boy had his body suspended in the air as he leaned his chair up and had his feet resting on a table, his eyes covered by his hair. He had been so quiet and unmoving that Tatsumi hadn't realized that he was in the room with everyone until now.

Yet, Lubbock was the first one to talk.

"Who's the big hunk?" he asked with no life to be found in his voice.

He pointed his finger towards a large man, as towering as a boulder, standing in one corner silently.

It was Gremlin, doing his best not to make his presence too profound, but failing regardless. No one had asked who the bulky man was or why he was with them until this point, only because they were too busy with other thoughts to even muster up the energy.

The masked man gave a disgruntled grumble in response to Lubbock, with the boy only getting up from his chair and put his hands into his pockets.

"So, you can't talk huh."

Tatsumi finally found it in himself to speak.

"He's a friend, helped us get out of the Capital."

Gremlin nodded slowly.

Lubbock stared at the man for a short while longer, before turning the other way and walking back into his room. Tatsumi noticed that his friend walked carefully, his right arm subtly hugging his chest. He was still wounded and recovering, even if he was doing a well enough job of hiding that.

Tatsumi wondered why Gremlin had decided to stay. It didn't look like he was going any time soon, instead opting to stick around and watch over his two newfound friends. They didn't know the man's agenda or anything about him really, yet both Akame and Tatsumi trusted him greatly.

"Later…" Najenda started.

Her volume of her voice was hardly audible, and difficult to read its tone.

She placed a cigar into her mouth, instead of one of her smaller cigarettes, and lit its tip with a lighter. Her lips curled around the cigar as she gazed out a nearby window.

"…I'm going to need you two to write a report on everything that happened."

Akame nodded immediately. Tatsumi hesitated, then did the same.

The woman traced her mechanical hand through her hair before continuing.

"I want to know how we lost Bulat. You didn't give me any details."

With an awkward glance to Akame, Tatsumi wondered if he was going to be the one to answer or her.

It looked like she was going to remain completely silent, much to Tatsumi's dismay, but she suddenly raised her head and answered calmly and clearly.

"Bulat overused his Imperial Arm and caused it to mutate. It took control of him and compromised the mission. He asked me to eliminate him, and I did."

It was clear to see how unsettled Najenda was now. Her cigar was tilted by her unstable jaw, and her eyes darted to the ground the moment she had been given her answer. The woman was in no condition to look at anyone, not the way she was now.

"I'll leave the rest to your reports. You're dismissed for now."

Contrary to what she said, Najenda was the one who left the room.

She left for her quarters, leaving only a few members in the hall. The gleam of Sheele's glasses shone as she followed wordlessly behind the boss, escorting her carefully while placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

A sharp pain surged in Tatsumi's right arm. He stared down at Mine to see the girl stitching up a horrible, thick gash on his bicep, carefully threading a small needle through his flesh. There were painkillers close at hand, and Tatsumi couldn't find it in himself to complain about something like some physical pain at a moment like this, so he stayed quiet and let his friend do her work.

She was facing away the entire time, looking over at nothing. Mine hadn't seen Tatsumi in days, and probably thought he was dead, but he noticed that she hadn't said a single thing to him yet. Was she relieved to see him? Did she even care that he was back? Such worries suddenly plagued Tatsumi's mind in a frantic swirl of emotions.

He had made it out of Esdeath's and the Empire's grasp, but not with sacrifice. Bulat died just so he would be sitting here right now. Just the thought of that made Tatsumi incredibly nauseous and distant, to the point where he no longer felt the pain of his wounds or Mine's stitching. He was the reason that Bulat was gone, that was a fact. He had no idea how he was ever going to be able to live something like that down.

The possibility of everyone despising him was undeniable. He wouldn't blame any of them if they absolutely hated him because of his weakness, his inability to do anything.

He missed Bulat so much. He missed his big brother.

His attention was pulled away from his sorrowful thoughts as Tatsumi felt the last bandage being wrapped around his leg. Mine stood up and tossed the excess bandages into a nearby basket, with a bloody needle alongside it, and carried the basket out of the hall. She did not turn away once to look at anyone. Tatsumi hadn't received the opportunity to get a good look at her ever since they arrived.

Bruised and drained, he didn't feel like doing anything anymore. His chair leant backwards as he slid further down into his chair and exhaled deeply. Life had become this constant stream of events, taxing and tolling, with no visible end in sight, and without any chance to escape out of. It was all too overwhelming.

The weak desire to just lie down washed over him like a wave of both exhaustion and restlessness, but Tatsumi did his best to resist it. Just thinking of relaxing himself with such an intense atmosphere choking the life out of everyone present made him feel strangely guilty. He decided he would just lean his head back, close his eyes, and try to absolve himself from his torturous thoughts for just a moment.

"Oi,"

Tatsumi's eyes flicked open. The sight of Leone was the first thing he saw. She stood directly in front of him, her sharp eyes piercing into him.

"Yes?" he responds, realizing how frail and tired his voice sounded.

"Come over here."

She stepped away and motioned towards the first bedroom to the left of the hall, disappearing around the corner as she entered first, leaving Tatsumi to quickly trail behind. He immediately leapt from his seat and followed without question, stepping into the room with his heart in his throat.

His body froze as Leone slammed her hand into the wall behind him and had cornered him into a confined area, standing so close to him that he honestly thought he would be crushed by her. Her expression was like ice, so cold that it would make even the bravest of men tremble in fear and terror, and Tatsumi was at a loss for how to respond to it all, instead opting to wait until Leone said something.

"Is it true?" she finally spoke. "Is he gone?"

Tatsumi raised his chin up, taking a better look at her face.

Her look wasn't one of anger or despair, but of complete shock and disbelief, he just hadn't looked properly. He could feel her eyes searching him, desperately looking for any hint that he would deny that Bulat had actually left them, which only pained him even further.

He couldn't bring himself to blatantly answer.

"I'm sorry, Leone."

The woman's right hand held a tight grip on his collar. Tatsumi questioned for a moment if she was actually going to hit him.

But he misjudged her sadness. Leone instead stumbled back and fell onto the bed behind her, sitting down and slumping her body downwards. She held her head in her arms and didn't say another word, unable to come up with any words to speak out, and simply falling silent.

She didn't cry, but the weight of her despair was utterly staggering.

Tatsumi wanted to reach out his arms and comfort her but couldn't, nor could he find anything to say to her. It made him disgusted and furious at his own self, realizing that he was hardly doing anything to make things easier for his friends, and couldn't say something to ease their pain. He cursed himself for his utter incompetence.

Was he _that_ useless?

But his mind was just tired, unable to process any more complex thoughts. He just wanted to collapse right then and there, and free himself about thinking of anything for a while.

Then words came out of his mouth on their own.

"It's all my fault."

Leone looked up.

Tatsumi felt moisture gather up in the corner of his eyes. His arms were shaking without his consent. He didn't expect to say what he did. It was as though his body was acting completely independent on his mind.

There was nothing he could do to stop it.

"This is all because of me." he continued, in a hush whisper.

Leone stood up.

"He died because of me. He died because I was weak. He died because I'm so worthless."

He couldn't look at Leone anymore. Words were just flooding out of him without any remnant of control.

"I could've done something. If I was stronger, he wouldn't have died. I'm…I'm a failure, I'm-"

His words were barely audible from an extreme case of stuttering, and Tatsumi was crying as his body forcefully squeezed out every last thought that had been lingering in his mind for so long.

"I'm such a-!"

A thunderous pain erupted in his skull as someone collided with the top of his head. He stumbled back and yelped, his back falling against the wall as he felt the pain burn terribly.

He looked up and saw Leone's clenched fist. She had punched him. Her knuckles looked sore from the powerful collision.

Tatsumi didn't have time to say anything before she hugged him.

It was the strangest feeling, being embraced by someone who just hit you. Tatsumi didn't know how to respond to any of it. His body was enveloped in warmth as Leone held him tight, and he couldn't help but lower his head and rest it on her shoulder. With everything that had happened so far, he couldn't properly recall the last time he had been hugged.

"Leone, I..."

She wasn't hearing it. "Shut up, Tatsumi. Just hold me."

Before he knew it, he was crying. Properly this time, by his own choice.

He wept over and over, digging his face into Leone's shoulder and finally letting it all out.

It felt good to cry. Tatsumi couldn't believe how much better it was making him feel. Instead of screaming out how useless he felt, crying was actually reducing all the confusion and agony that had been plaguing him. This must've been why Leone had stopped him from talking anymore.

He needed to be strong. Now wasn't the time to be wallowing in his self-pity. This was their line of work. Tatsumi knew he had to get used to it all.

But for now.

Just for a short while.

He hugged Leone back and let the tears flow.

Just for now, Tatsumi decided that it would be alright.

* * *

Chaos was rampant throughout the Palace.

The Minister had exploded in anger after hearing the recent events that occurred on Palace grounds, and the failure of an essential public execution, from what Wave had heard.

He hadn't been able to see the conflict within the Palace for himself, unfortunately, but Kurome had managed to describe most of the details of what had been going on. Hardly a day had passed since the incident, yet it seemed like pandemonium was on the verge of breaking out at any moment.

Kurome had also let Wave know that the Minister had demanded the immediate expulsion of him from the Jaegers, along with going so far as to also demand an arrest. The man knew that Wave had heavily sabotaged Esdeath's plan of capturing several Night Raid members, and announced that such incompetence wasn't needed in the Empire's elite force.

Apparently, however, the Minister did not dare cross Esdeath, who said that Wave would remain a member of the Jaegers.

Wave was relieved and grateful for that, but also on the edge about everything else. This was not the first time that he had required Esdeath's defence in order to retain his position, and he felt utterly horrible that he was forcing the General to put in time and effort to gradually clean up his mistakes.

Last night, he acted purely on his instinct alone, and nothing else, but he now wondered if that was really the smartest thing to do. He hadn't heard the opinion of the other members of his team, but his friend Kurome was making sure to be very vocal on how she saw things.

"You're a mess, really." she muttered as she nibbled into a biscuit.

Wave sighed, losing his train of thought.

He grabbed hold of the mop again, and scrubbed a corner of the floor until it was clean enough to show his own clear reflection.

"To think I'd be assigned cleaning duty…" he groaned in genuine concern.

"How far you've fallen."

Wave winced, then scrubbed another area of the floor.

He glanced at Kurome, sitting on the kitchen table and helping herself to her snacks, and wondered why she was here. She could've just taken her biscuits and left, but instead chose to stay here and watch him mop the place up.

It was embarrassing, and it took a lot of effort to not let that show. He hated everything about what he was doing. He was a Jaeger, doing ordinary labour.

It had to be the most painful punch to the gut he had felt thus far.

And Kurome's deadpan voice pointing it out every couple of minutes was certainly not helping.

Wave stopped moping. "Don't you have other things to do, Kurome?"

"Like what."

"I don't know, aren't there any missions available?"

"No, Lady Esdeath is still busy trying to clean up things, like your screw-up in the Colosseum."

Finally, Wave had run all out of patience.

He lifted his mop up, walked over to the kitchen table, and lent it against the edge. With folded arms, he leaned on the table himself and glared at Kurome.

"You just won't let up, will you?" he spoke with a subtle hint of anger. "Why don't you just say 'I told you so', and move on?"

"I did tell you so, and you didn't listen."

Kurome searched her goodie bag and pulled out another biscuit before continuing.

"You really don't listen, Wave. Not to anyone. It's why you're in this situation in the first place."

That was true.

All the other Jaegers always fell in line and listened to Esdeath's orders, treating them as absolute.

Wave didn't know how to do the same thing. He felt deep down in his heart that his rightful place was with the Jaegers, he had no doubt about that, but he was constantly having trouble adapting to his new environment. He had been living in the Palace for a while now, and still felt like he had just gotten off the boat from his small village.

Everything felt foreign. People acted differently from how he did. The Jaegers, for example, were fighting for the same thing he was, yet it seemed impossible for him to understand their ideals most of the time.

Last night was no exception. Wave still couldn't believe that everyone in the team voted for the death of a Night Raid member.

Night Raid was a pack of filthy vermin, heartless killers with not even the slightest sense of remorse, but was killing them really the answer?

In his eyes, killing even the worst of scum, was still murder.

Perhaps that was just weakness. Wave often believed that he was soft, too soft compared to everyone else. It couldn't be denied, if he had been less soft, the Empire would have made far more progress than it had now.

"I'm still getting used to it." he finally whispered.

Kurome raised an eyebrow.

"Used to what?"

"Everything. Just being a Jaeger still feels new to me, and the Capital is nothing like how things are back home."

"We've been here a while. It's time to adapt."

"I guess…"

He enjoyed Kurome's company when she wasn't picking on him.

But it honestly felt like he was talking to a wall most of the time. He couldn't find a way to relate to the girl in any way. They were too different, he thought.

Yet he found himself clinging to her, and she wasn't one to avoid him either. She was probably the most normal person in the Jaegers, which said something, but it allowed him to talk calmly and without worry when he was around her. Both Kurome and Boros were his only real friends so far.

Though the term 'friends' was loose with the three of them.

"Esdeath's pretty mad at you, though." Kurome quickly added.

Wave sighed.

"I guess that's to be expected."

"I'm surprised she hasn't kicked you out yet. She could've done it ages ago, but chooses to keep you regardless."

Wave stared at the soapy floor. "Why?"

"She said she sees great things from you, that you'll be an unstoppable warrior in the future, or something like that."

"She…actually said that?"

"Mhm," she hummed, but didn't say anything else.

Wave was caught off-guard.

But it made some sense. His Imperial Arm was incredibly powerful, and he hadn't even come close to unleashing its full strength yet. Training under Esdeath, he could feel himself growing stronger and stronger with each passing day.

Now, however, with being assigned to house chores with seemingly no end, he doubted he would ever be able to train and improve anymore. This wasn't the kind of person he was. It was so indescribably frustrating for someone like himself to be doing things like this, especially with so much motivation to fight surging within. He wanted to fight now more than ever, to prove that he was still useful to the Jaegers, despite his slip-ups.

But that reminded him of something that hit him with a wave of depression.

"Grand Chariot…was taken from me…" he whispered to himself, but unintentionally loud enough for Kurome to hear.

"Oh yeah, that happened."

"I can't believe they did that."

"Esdeath ordered it herself. She doesn't want you running around with your Imperial Arm, doing whatever you want, until she trusts you again."

"How am I supposed to get her trusting me?"

Kurome gave a cheeky smile. "Clean some dishes like there's no tomorrow."

The only time her expression changed was when she was teasing Wave, which bothered him a lot.

"You know, you could help."

There was a short pause. Kurome stared at him for a few seconds.

"Nah, I'll pass." she finally answered.

Wave's head dropped in defeat, and all of his restlessness came out in one long sigh.

The door to the kitchen suddenly flung open, causing both Wave and Kurome to turn their attention to the person entering.

A muscular, masked man stepped through with a mop in one hand and two mittens nestled in the other. The man tilted his head calmly to the side, and spoke cheerfully.

"So, you need any help with your work?" his upbeat voice chirped.

Wave's eyes widened. "Boros…"

A large smile found its way onto Wave's face, watching gratefully as Boros swiftly scrubbed the corners of the room with his mop in almost no time, then made his way carefully to the centre. Wave looked down and saw a perfectly clean reflection of himself from the floor.

Kurome said nothing, but gave a quick snort. In just the course of a minute, Boros had cleansed a room that Wave had been working on for the past hour.

"Boros, that's amazing!" Wave laughed as his mood perked up. "How do you clean so well?"

The masked man rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ahh, I'm used to it. I usually do all the chores back at home, too."

It really didn't fit the appearance of someone like Boros, Wave thought, but it certainly fit the man's kind and caring nature. He felt much better having a friend like him around, helping him out.

"Thank you, Boros." he said as he moved over to the dishes that still needed to be washed.

But the man quickly butted in and moved ahead of Wave, winning the race to the dishes in just a mere moment. Wave was stunned as he observed his friend instinctively grabbed each filthy dish one-by-one and scrubbed them down from top to bottom with the nearby sponge. It seemed as though all of this was second nature to Boros, like the kitchen was his real home.

"B-Boros…" Wave blinked a few times. "If Esdeath sees you helping me like this…you could get in trouble as well…"

The masked man chuckled, then gave a quick and dismissive nod to Wave.

"Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for!"

That took Wave aback, and the man could feel himself getting slightly teary-eyed. He glanced the other way and laughed again, putting his hands into the pockets of his navy jacket in defeat. He couldn't hold a candle to Boros when it came to things like this.

And as he smiled happily to himself, he could feel his outlook becoming more and more clear. He wasn't going to be down in the dumps forever, not when there was still so much for him to do. He wasn't done just yet.

Not by a long shot.

* * *

It was a while since Tatsumi had stopped crying.

He felt several times lighter just from the experience alone. It hadn't dawned on him just how much he had needed to do that.

Leone asked to be left alone in her bedroom very soon after, and Tatsumi found himself slowly walking towards Najenda's room. He needed to give her a full report of everything that had happened in the Capital while it was all still fresh in his mind. It would still be difficult for him to get everything out without an emotional struggle, but he was feeling more confident in his inner strength now.

He walked past Gremlin on his way, and the massive guy quickly followed behind him silently.

Tatsumi couldn't think of anything to say to him, it wasn't like Gremlin was the best person for conversations. With the poor man missing his tongue, Tatsumi was already thinking of a way of communication between the two of them, perhaps some sort of code or trick to understand what Gremlin was trying to say whenever he tried to speak.

He still couldn't imagine himself going through the same thing as Gremlin, having no tongue to talk with. Tatsumi thought something like that to just be torturous.

Once he reached the furthest door to the right of the corridor leading to the hall, he turned back and gave Gremlin a quick and friendly tap on the man's muscular, bulky arm.

"Okay pal, I have business in here. Can you wait for me outside?"

Gremlin didn't move for a moment.

Then the large man nodded his head, understandingly.

"Thanks, I'll be right back."

His hand reached for the door, and his fingers trembled on the cold touch of the metal. When he stepped inside the room he could feel a sense of unexpected dread wash over him.

A woman stood opposite the entrance, staring at a wall with scribbles and drawings pasted all around. Small notes of paper were all strung together by various threads in a sea of writings and images, all that were too distant from Tatsumi to be read properly.

Najenda did not turn around to meet Tatsumi, though she clearly acknowledged that he had entered the room.

She spoke softly. "Your report, Tatsumi."

"I…"

He found himself at a loss for words for a few seconds. It was difficult deciding where to even start.

"I was going to be executed at the Colosseum in the Capital, which Bulat and Akame infiltrated to prevent." he finally started, closing his eyes as he spoke. "It was a trap that Esdeath had set up. She wanted to kill them both, and keep me alive."

Najenda stopped him. "Why would she want you to stay alive?"

That proved to be a challenge for Tatsumi to answer.

He didn't know for sure himself. Esdeath's reasoning for keeping him alive was…odd, to say the least.

The flesh on Tatsumi's cheeks began to gradually heat and warm up as Tatsumi recalled the time when he and Esdeath were beside each other. Esdeath had pulled her head in close and told him she was in love. He was too terrified and disturbed to realize the magnitude of that back then, but now it was all hitting him.

How was he going to tell Najenda something like that? That the General of the Empire and the revolution's greatest threat had feelings for him?

That wasn't happening.

"She said she was…fascinated by me, or something." he opted to answer instead, though it still felt rather embarrassing to say out loud.

"Fascinated?" Najenda repeated, the tone of her voice completely flat.

"Yeah, when Bulat was engaging her at a secured camp, I jumped in and managed to hit her. I think that made her think more of me than I actually am.

The back of Najenda continued to face Tatsumi.

The woman slowly slid a thick cigar out of her mouth, pursing it out with her lips and gently placing the ashen smoke into an ash tray on her personal desk. The cigar's tip was heated up in red for a couple moments until the last puffs of smoke died out.

A radiance of something ominous felt heavy around her.

"You…hit Esdeath?" she whispered.

She almost sounded upset or disturbed, which caused Tatsumi to freeze up and cower. He didn't know what had suddenly taken over Najenda.

"I…" he mumbled. "Kind of, yes."

"You managed to touch someone like her?"

"Well, I mean…she had her guard down and everything, so it doesn't really coun-"

Najenda turned around and finally faced him.

Her worn-out, drained expression shook him terribly, she couldn't have looked worse for wear. This was not the Najenda that he knew well, her mind was in a dark and desolate place.

"Esdeath never lets her guard down." she snapped. "Not even for one second. Her guard has been up since the moment she was born. That woman is a machine, designed for nothing but combat."

Tatsumi took a step back, instinctively.

"I, uh…"

She wasn't herself at all, and it was clear that her outburst was from how unnerved she currently was. He didn't know what to respond with, so he simply waited until she continued speaking.

Najenda looked down at her desk, and the map that had been carefully spread out along the surface. She shook her head in silence, then scratched her head in irritation.

"Esdeath is a monster, Tatsumi." she said, sounding significantly more calm. "I know that woman better than anyone. She is the literal definition of cruel. Don't fall for her antics, not even for a second, got that?"

Tatsumi nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"Good. You never know what kind of game she'll be playing at. She'll take away everything from you in an instant…just like today."

"Do you…" Tatsumi asked absent-mindedly. "Do you know Esdeath?"

Najenda's sharp, purple eyes turned their gaze another way. Her prosthetic hand gradually clenched into a balled fist as she looked down at the floor.

"I did, long ago."

"Oh."

"Anyway, your report isn't the only thing I wanted to discuss with you."

"Huh?"

Najenda strode over from the other side of the room and came closer to Tatsumi, and placed a hand on his shoulder. She used her mechanical arm, which felt rather heavy for Tatsumi to withhold.

He looked at her as she stared intently back.

She continued to stare as she called out with a loud boom. "Akame, you can enter now."

On queue, Tatsumi watched as the door to the room opened and Akame stepped inside. She looked slightly better than she did a few hours before, but her expression was always deadpan regardless of the situation, which didn't surprise him. A looming sense of dread strangely hit him as the girl slowly approached him as well.

Najenda spoke softly. "With the Adayusu gone, and Bulat no longer in this world, we have to take the next step now."

Tatsumi blinked blankly, not catching on. "What?"

"Akame."

Again, Akame quickly obeyed, and held out something she had been holding behind her back.

Tatsumi's entire body felt like ice as he glared at what was resting in the two hands of his friend. For some reason, despite it being something that he had already laid eyes on countless times, a feeling of horror ensued the moment he saw it once again.

A silver sword, twisted and jagged, gleaming in Akame's grip. He couldn't believe he was looking at it again, not after everything that had happened.

"Tatsumi, I know this might be hurt for you, but…" Najenda whispered.

Akame held out Incursio's key even further.

Tatsumi silently found himself subtly shaking.

"Try it."


End file.
